Three-dimensional Images Fusion Method Useful for Preoperative Simulation of Clipping Surgery for Cerebral Aneurysms.

This study aimed to introduce a three-dimensional (3D) images fusion method for preoperative simulation of aneurysm clipping. Consecutive unruptured aneurysm cases treated with surgical clipping from March 2021 to October 2023 were included. In all cases, preoperative images of plain computed tomography (CT), CT angiography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 3D fluid-attenuated inversion recovery, 3D heavily T2-weighted images, and 3D rotational angiography were acquired and transported into a commercial software (Ziostation2 Plus, Ziosoft, Inc.

Evaluation of Prolonged Endometrial Inflammation Associated with the Periparturient Metabolic State in Dairy Cows.

The objectives of this study were to assess the sequential dynamics of the endometrial polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) after calving by endometrial cytology, and clarify the factors that cause prolonged endometrial inflammation in lactating dairy cows. A total of 33 lactating Holstein dairy cows were used from -4 to 8 wk relative to calving (0 wk: the calving week). Endometrial samples were obtained sequentially from 2 to 8 wk.

REFOLDdb: a new and sustainable gateway to experimental protocols for protein refolding.

Background: More than 7000 papers related to "protein refolding" have been published to date, with approximately 300 reports each year during the last decade. Whilst some of these papers provide experimental protocols for protein refolding, a survey in the structural life science communities showed a necessity for a comprehensive database for refolding techniques. We therefore have developed a new resource - "REFOLDdb" that collects refolding techniques into a single, searchable repository to help researchers develop refolding protocols for proteins of interest.

Cholesterol concentrations in lipoprotein fractions separated by anion-exchange-high-performance liquid chromatography in healthy dogs and dogs with hypercholesterolemia.

Anion-exchange (AEX)-high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for measurement of cholesterol can be used to separate serum lipoproteins (high-density lipoprotein (HDL); low-density lipoprotein (LDL); intermediate-density lipoprotein (IDL); very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)) in humans. However, AEX-HPLC has not been applied in veterinary practice. We had three objectives: (i) the validation of AEX-HPLC methods including the correlation of serum cholesterol concentration in lipoprotein fraction measured by AEX-HPLC and gel permeation-HPLC (GP-HPLC) in healthy dogs and those with hypercholesterolemia was investigated; (ii) the reference intervals of lipoprotein fractions measured by AEX-HPLC from healthy dogs (n=40) was established; (iii) lipoprotein fractions from the serum of healthy dogs (n=12) and dogs with hypercholesterolemia (n=23) were compared.

VaProS: a database-integration approach for protein/genome information retrieval.

Life science research now heavily relies on all sorts of databases for genome sequences, transcription, protein three-dimensional (3D) structures, protein-protein interactions, phenotypes and so forth. The knowledge accumulated by all the omics research is so vast that a computer-aided search of data is now a prerequisite for starting a new study. In addition, a combinatory search throughout these databases has a chance to extract new ideas and new hypotheses that can be examined by wet-lab experiments.

Analysis of lipoprotein profiles of healthy cats by gel-permeation high-performance liquid chromatography.

Density gradient ultracentrifugation (DGUC) and gel electrophoresis are conventionally used to obtain lipoprotein profiles of animals. We recently applied high-performance liquid chromatography with a gel permeation column (GP-HPLC) and an on-line dual enzymatic system to dogs for lipoprotein profile analysis. We compared the GP-HPLC with DGUC as a method to obtain a feline lipoprotein profile.

Integrated database of information from structural genomics experiments.

Information from structural genomics experiments at the RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Japan has been compiled and published as an integrated database. The contents of the database are (i) experimental data from nine species of bacteria that cover a large variety of protein molecules in terms of both evolution and properties (http://database.riken.

Characterization and comparison of insulin resistance induced by Cushing Syndrome or diestrus against healthy control dogs as determined by euglycemic- hyperinsulinemic glucose clamp profile glucose infusion rate using an artificial pancreas apparatus.

Euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic glucose clamp (EHGC) method is a gold standard for assessing insulin resistance in humans. However, this method has yet to be commonly used with dogs, due to the requirement of frequent blood sampling for glucose measurement and adjusting glucose infusion rate (GIR). The purpose of this study was to evaluate insulin resistance, induced either by Cushing Syndrome (CS) or diestrus in dogs, as determined by GIR by EHGC, using an artificial pancreas apparatus.

TP Atlas: integration and dissemination of advances in Targeted Proteins Research Program (TPRP)-structural biology project phase II in Japan.

The Targeted Proteins Research Program (TPRP) promoted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan is the phase II of structural biology project (2007-2011) following the Protein 3000 Project (2002-2006) in Japan. While the phase I Protein 3000 Project put partial emphasis on the construction and maintenance of pipelines for structural analyses, the TPRP is dedicated to revealing the structures and functions of the targeted proteins that have great importance in both basic research and industrial applications. To pursue this objective, 35 Targeted Proteins (TP) Projects selected in the three areas of fundamental biology, medicine and pharmacology, and food and environment are tightly collaborated with 10 Advanced Technology (AT) Projects in the four fields of protein production, structural analyses, chemical library and screening, and information platform.

Amputation for histiocytic sarcoma in a cat.

A 9-year-old spayed female domestic shorthair cat presented with a skin lesion of the left tarsus. The lesion was biopsied and, based on the microscopic appearance and immunohistochemical characteristics, histiocytic sarcoma was diagnosed. Amputation was performed with improved demeanor seen postoperatively.

Supplementing transglucosidase with a high-fiber diet for prevention of postprandial hyperglycemia in streptozotocin-induced diabetic dogs.

Indigestible oligosaccharides have been shown to normalize blood glucose and insulin concentration thereby promoting good health and preventing diseases, such as diabetes. Transglucosidase (TG, alpha-glucosidase, enzyme code (EC) 3.2.

Application of gel permeation HPLC for lipoprotein profiling in dogs.

A high performance liquid chromatography system with a gel permeation column (GP-HPLC) and an on-line dual enzymatic system was applied to lipoprotein analysis in dogs. A high density lipoprotein (HDL) fraction obtained by conventional ultracentrifugation gave a single peak at around 28-29 min. Similarly, a low density lipoprotein (LDL) fraction gave single peak at around 24-25 min.

Crystal Structural and Functional Analysis of the Putative Dipeptidase from Pyrococcus horikoshii OT3.

The crystal structure of a putative dipeptidase (Phdpd) from Pyrococcus horikoshii OT3 was solved using X-ray data at 2.4 A resolution. The protein is folded into two distinct entities.

Successful intensive insulin treatment of type 1 diabetic dogs leads to restoration of peripheral leukocyte insulin signaling gene expression and enzyme activities.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether intensive insulin treatment of dogs suffering from type 1 diabetes mellitus, resulting in tight glycemic control, could be reflected by changes in peripheral leukocyte metabolism. Specifically, plasma metabolites and enzyme activities were assessed. In addition, quantitative RT-PCR was used to determine changes in insulin signaling gene (insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1, IRS-2 and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K) P85alpha) mRNA levels in peripheral leukocytes.

Serum glycated albumin as a glycemic control marker in diabetic cats.

Measurements of glycated proteins such as serum fructosamine, glycated hemoglobin, and glycated albumin (GA) are increasingly used to complement serum glucose concentration for better management of diabetes mellitus. For example, the degree of glycemic control in diabetic cats can be determined by evaluating fructosamine concentration. Unfortunately, fructosamine tests are currently not performed in Japan, and as such, the measurement of GA may serve as a replacement test.

A bolus infusion of xylitol solution in the treatment of cow ketosis does not cause a surge in insulin secretion.

When a solution of xylitol was rapidly administered intravenously (bolus infusion) to healthy cattle or those with ketosis, different results were obtained. In healthy cattle, a temporary surge in insulin secretion was observed, whereas in ketotic cattle no such surge was found, but instead a moderate level of secretion continued for a lengthy period. No significant difference in the areas under the insulin curve (AUC) was found between healthy cattle and ketotic cattle up to 120 min after xylitol infusion.

Systematic study on crystal-contact engineering of diphthine synthase: influence of mutations at crystal-packing regions on X-ray diffraction quality.

It is well known that protein crystallizability can be influenced by site-directed mutagenesis of residues on the molecular surface of proteins, indicating that the intermolecular interactions in crystal-packing regions may play a crucial role in the structural regularity at atomic resolution of protein crystals. Here, a systematic examination was made of the improvement in the diffraction resolution of protein crystals on introducing a single mutation of a crystal-packing residue in order to provide more favourable packing interactions, using diphthine synthase from Pyrococcus horikoshii OT3 as a model system. All of a total of 21 designed mutants at 13 different crystal-packing residues yielded almost isomorphous crystals from the same crystallization conditions as those used for the wild-type crystals, which diffracted X-rays to 2.

Diagnostic significance of serum glycated albumin in diabetic dogs.

Measurements of serum fructosamine, glycated hemoglobin, and glycated albumin (GA) are increasingly used to complement serum glucose concentration for better management of diabetes mellitus. Fructosamine tests are currently not performed in veterinary medicine in Japan. As such, the measurement of GA may serve as a replacement test.

High-throughput crystallization-to-structure pipeline at RIKEN SPring-8 Center.

A high-throughput crystallization-to-structure pipeline for structural genomics was recently developed at the Advanced Protein Crystallography Research Group of the RIKEN SPring-8 Center in Japan. The structure determination pipeline includes three newly developed technologies for automating X-ray protein crystallography: the automated crystallization and observation robot system "TERA", the SPring-8 Precise Automatic Cryosample Exchanger "SPACE" for automated data collection, and the Package of Expert Researcher's Operation Network "PERON" for automated crystallographic computation from phasing to model checking. During the 5 years following April, 2002, this pipeline was used by seven researchers to determine 138 independent crystal structures (resulting from 437 purified proteins, 234 cryoloop-mountable crystals, and 175 diffraction data sets).

Changes in peripheral lymphocyte subsets in the type 1 diabetic dogs treated with insulin injections.

Plasma metabolites and peripheral lymphocyte subsets were measured in ten diabetic and ten control dogs to investigate their significances as indicators to evaluate immune states in the diabetic dogs. Diabetic dogs were treated with insulin injections, however their plasma glucose and fructosamine concentrations were significantly higher than those of the controls. There were no significant differences in counts of total white blood cells (WBC) and lymphocyte CD8(+) cells (cytotoxic T cells) between the control and the diabetic dogs.

Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of the fumarylacetoacetase family member TTHA0809 from Thermus thermophilus HB8.

Fumarylacetoacetase catalyzes the final step of tyrosine and phenylalanine catabolism. A recombinant form of the fumarylacetoacetase family member TTHA0809 from Thermus thermophilus HB8 has been crystallized by the oil-microbatch method using sodium chloride as a precipitating agent. The crystals belong to the monoclinic space group P2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 93.

Evaluation of the clinical efficacy of benazepril in the treatment of chronic renal insufficiency in cats.

Background: Chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) is a common disease in cats. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) have beneficial effects in humans with CRI by reducing the loss of protein in the urine and increasing life expectancy.

Hypothesis: The ACEI benazepril has beneficial effects on survival, clinical variables, or both as compared with placebo in cats with CRI.

Engineering the substrate specificity of porcine kidney D-amino acid oxidase by mutagenesis of the "active-site lid".

Comparison of the primary structures of pig kidney D-amino acid oxidase (DAO) and human brain D-aspartate oxidase (DDO) revealed a notable difference at I215-N225 of DAO and the corresponding region, R216-G220, of DDO. A DAO mutant, in which I215-N225 is substituted by R216-G220 of DDO, showed D-aspartate-oxidizing activity that wild-type DAO does not exhibit, together with a considerable decrease in activity toward D-alanine. These findings indicate that I215-N225 of DAO contributes profoundly to its substrate specificity.

Comparison of enzyme activities in plasma and leukocytes in dairy and beef cattle.

Concentrations of plasma glucose, immunoreactive insulin (IRI) and free fatty acid (FFA) and activities of enzymes related to energy metabolism and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) isoenzyme pattern in plasma and leukocytes were investigated in lactating Holstein cows (dairy cattle) and fattening Japanese Black Wagyu x Holstein steers (beef cattle). IRI concentrations and LDH and malate dehydrogenase (MDH) activities in the plasma of beef cattle were significantly higher than those in dairy cattle. The cytosolic ratio of MDH/LDH activity in the leukocytes of beef cattle was significantly higher than that of dairy cattle.