Evaluation of Circulating MicroRNA Biomarkers in the Acute Pancreatic Injury Dog Model.

This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of four microRNAs (miRNAs) in an acute pancreatic injury dog model. Acute pancreatitis was induced by infusion of cerulein for 2 h (7.5 μg/kg/h).

Development of a Mouse Model of Prostate Cancer Using the Sleeping Beauty Transposon and Electroporation.

The Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon system is non-viral and uses insertional mutagenesis, resulting in the permanent expression of transferred genes. Although the SB transposon is a useful method for establishing a mouse tumor model, there has been difficulty in using this method to generate tumors in the prostate. In the present study, electroporation was used to enhance the transfection efficiency of the SB transposon.

EZH2 Expression in Naturally Occurring Canine Tumors.

Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) shows upregulated expression in tumors and is an important driver of tumor development and progression. However, the mechanism underlying the mediation of tumor aggressiveness by EZH2 remains unclear. We here investigated the levels of EZH2 in various normal and tumorous dog tissues and compared these patterns with those of the corresponding human tissues.

Drug repurposing screening identifies bortezomib and panobinostat as drugs targeting cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) by synergistic induction of apoptosis.

Cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the most abundant components of cancer-microenvironment. They play important roles in cancer initiation, progression, and metastasis. In addition, CAFs can confer drug-resistance to cancer cells.

Reference values of clinical pathology parameters in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) used in preclinical studies.

Nonhuman primates are increasingly used in biomedical research since they are highly homologous to humans compared to other rodent animals. However, there is limited reliable reference data of the clinical pathology parameters in cynomolgus monkeys, and in particular, only some coagulation and urinalysis parameters have been reported. Here, we reported the reference data of clinical chemical, hematological, blood coagulation, and urinalysis parameters in cynomolgus monkeys.

Time-course changes in the expression levels of miR-122, -155, and -21 as markers of liver cell damage, inflammation, and regeneration in acetaminophen-induced liver injury in rats.

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a significant threat to patient health and a major concern during drug development. Recently, multiple circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to be potential biomarkers for DILI. To adapt and validate miRNAs for clinical use, we investigated the time-course changes in miR-122 expression levels in an acetaminophen-induced liver injury model in rats.

Metformin inhibits early stage diethylnitrosamine‑induced hepatocarcinogenesis in rats.

Antitumor effects of metformin have recently emerged despite its original use for type II diabetes. In the present study, the effects of metformin on the development and recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were investigated using the diethylnitrosamine (DEN)‑induced rat model of HCC. Tumor foci were characterized by gross examination and by histopathological characteristics, including proliferation, hepatic progenitor cell content and the expression of hepatocarcinoma‑specific molecular markers.

A novel and highly specific phage endolysin cell wall binding domain for detection of Bacillus cereus.

Rapid, specific and sensitive detection of pathogenic bacteria is crucial for public health and safety. Bacillus cereus is harmful as it causes foodborne illness and a number of systemic and local infections. We report a novel phage endolysin cell wall-binding domain (CBD) for B.

Carcinogenicity of metamifop, a novel herbicide, in Wistar rats following oral administration for 104 weeks.

Metamifop is a novel herbicide with as yet undetermined properties. To assess its carcinogenicity, metamifop was mixed into standard rodent chow and fed to male and female Wistar rats at doses of 10, 100 and 750ppm for 104weeks. The viability/mortality of these rats was not affected by treatment with metamifop.

Carcinogenicity study of CKD-501, a novel dual peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors α and γ agonist, following oral administration to Sprague Dawley rats for 94-101 weeks.

CKD-501 is a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) agonist. The current study was conducted in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats for 94-101 weeks to investigate the carcinogenic potential of CKD-501. 60 males received 0, 0.

Usefulness of optical coherence tomography to detect central serous chorioretinopathy in monkeys.

Many systemic drugs can induce ocular toxicity and several ocular side-effects have been identified in clinical studies. However, it is difficult to detect ocular toxicity in preclinical studies because of the lack of appropriate evaluation methods. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is useful because it can provide real-time images throughout a study period, whereas histopathology only provides images of sacrificed animals.

Cost-Effectiveness of Carotid Endarterectomy versus Carotid Artery Stenting for Treatment of Carotid Artery Stenosis.

Background: Symptomatic or asymptomatic patients with significant carotid artery stenosis (range, 70% to 99%) generally undergo either carotid artery endarterectomy (CEA) or carotid artery stenting (CAS) to prevent stroke. In this study, we evaluated the cost effectiveness of these two treatment modalities.

Methods: A total of 47 patients (mean age, 67.

CKD-501, a novel selective PPARγ agonist, shows no carcinogenic potential in ICR mice following oral administration for 104 weeks.

CKD-501 is a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) agonist that is effective for the treatment of diabetes. However, its carcinogenic potential remains controversial. The current carcinogenicity study was conducted over a period of 104 weeks in ICR mice.

Aortic valve replacement using continuous suture technique in patients with aortic valve disease.

Background: The continuous suture (CS) technique has several advantages as a method for simple, fast, and secure aortic valve replacement (AVR). We used a simple CS technique without the use of a pledget for AVR and evaluated the surgical outcomes.

Materials And Methods: Between October 2007 and 2012, 123 patients with aortic valve disease underwent AVR alone (n=28) or with other concomitant cardiac procedures (n=95), such as mitral, tricuspid, or aortic surgery.

Piezoelectric two-dimensional nanosheets/anionic layer heterojunction for efficient direct current power generation.

Direct current (DC) piezoelectric power generator is promising for the miniaturization of a power package and self-powering of nanorobots and body-implanted devices. Hence, we report the first use of two-dimensional (2D) zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructure and an anionic nanoclay layer to generate piezoelectric DC output power. The device, made from 2D nanosheets and an anionic nanoclay layer heterojunction, has potential to be the smallest size power package, and could be used to charge wireless nano/micro scale systems without the use of rectifier circuits to convert alternating current into DC to store the generated power.

Predictive factors of sustained sinus rhythm and recurrent atrial fibrillation after the maze procedure.

Background: We examined perioperative predictors of sustained sinus rhythm (SR) in patients undergoing the Cox maze operation and concomitant cardiac surgery for structural heart disease.

Materials And Methods: From October 1999 to December 2008, 90 patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) underwent the Cox maze operation and other concomitant cardiac surgery. Eighty-nine patients, all except for one postoperative death, were followed-up with serial electrocardiographic studies, 24-hour Holter monitoring tests, and regular echocardiographic studies.

Growth of high quality ZnO nanowires on graphene.

We report growth of the ZnO nanowires on graphene/SiO2/Si substrates using a chemical vapor deposition method. The length of nanowires varies from 1 microm to 10 microm with increasing the growth time from 30 min to 90 min. X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy investigations predict the high structural quality of the c-axis grown single crystalline ZnO nanowires.

Routine Shunting is Safe and Reliable for Cerebral Perfusion during Carotid Endarterectomy in Symptomatic Carotid Stenosis.

Background: The purpose of this report is to describe the perioperative outcomes of standard carotid endarterectomy (CEA) with general anesthesia, routine shunting, and tissue patching in symptomatic carotid stenoses.

Materials And Methods: Between October 2007 and July 2011, 22 patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis (male/female, 19/3; mean age, 67.2±9.

Postintubation Tracheal Ruptures - A case report -.

Tracheobronchial ruptures (TBR) rarely complicate surgical procedures under general anesthesia. Seemingly uneventful intubations can result in injury to the trachea, which often manifests as hemoptysis and subcutaneous emphysema. We present 2 patients with postintubation TBR who were treated surgically and discuss considerations in the management of this potentially lethal injury.

Role of Junctin protein interactions in cellular dynamics of calsequestrin polymer upon calcium perturbation.

Calsequestrin (CSQ), the major intrasarcoplasmic reticulum calcium storage protein, undergoes dynamic polymerization and depolymerization in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner. However, no direct evidence of CSQ depolymerization in vivo with physiological relevance has been obtained. In the present study, live cell imaging analysis facilitated characterization of the in vivo dynamics of the macromolecular CSQ structure.

Controlled growth of semiconducting nanowire, nanowall, and hybrid nanostructures on graphene for piezoelectric nanogenerators.

Precise control of morphologies of one- or two-dimensional nanostructures during growth has not been easy, usually degrading device performance and therefore limiting applications to various advanced nanoscale electronics and optoelectronics. Graphene could be a platform to serve as a substrate for both morphology control and direct use of electrodes due to its ideal monolayer flatness with π electrons. Here, we report that, by using graphene directly as a substrate, vertically well-aligned zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires and nanowalls were obtained systematically by controlling gold (Au) catalyst thickness and growth time without inflicting significant thermal damage on the graphene layer during thermal chemical vapor deposition of ZnO at high temperature of about 900 °C.

Control of electronic structure of graphene by various dopants and their effects on a nanogenerator.

It is essential to control the electronic structure of graphene in order to apply graphene films for use in electrodes. We have introduced chemical dopants that modulate the electronic properties of few-layer graphene films synthesized by chemical vapor deposition. The work function, sheet carrier density, mobility, and sheet resistance of these films were systematically modulated by the reduction potential values of dopants.

Fabrication of nanochannels by anisotropic wet etching on silicon-on-insulator wafers and their application to DNA stretch.

We report a new approach to fabricate nanochannels on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers using conventional micromachining techniques. Proper selection of the size of the photomask-window and the thickness of the top silicon layer is necessary to obtain nano-sized regions. Silicon anisotropic wet etching followed by an additional reactive-ion-etching (RIE) process and a second silicon wet etching step resulted in long channels (1 cm) of about 200 nm width and 100 nm depth.