Elucidating Tertiary Structures of Affibody in Vacuo Using Genetic Code Expansion and FRIPS Mass Spectrometry.

Radical-directed protein fragmentation techniques, particularly free radical-initiated peptide sequencing (FRIPS) mass spectrometry (MS), offer significant potential for elucidating protein structures in the gas phase. This study presents a novel approach to protein structural analysis in vacuo, combining FRIPS MS with genetic code expansion (GCE) technology. By incorporating unnatural amino acids (UAAs) at specific sites within an Affibody protein, we effectively introduced a radical precursor at six distinct positions.

Selective fluorescent labeling of cellular proteins and its biological applications.

Proteins, which are ubiquitous in cells and critical to almost all cellular functions, are indispensable for life. Fluorescence imaging of proteins is key to understanding their functions within their native milieu, as it provides insights into protein localization, dynamics, and trafficking in living systems. Consequently, the selective labeling of target proteins with fluorophores has emerged as a highly active research area, encompassing bioorganic chemistry, chemical biology, and cell biology.

In Vivo Human Lacrimal Gland Imaging Using an Ultrasound Biomicroscopy.

Purpose: In the present study, we introduce human lacrimal gland imaging using an ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) with a soft cover and show their findings.

Methods: The representative UBM findings of palpebral lobes in seven subjects (four with non-Sjögren dry eye syndrome, one with Sjögren syndrome, and two healthy subjects) were described in this study. To prolapse the palpebral lobe, the examiner pulled the temporal part of the upper eyelid in the superotemporal direction and directed the subject to look in the inferonasal direction.

Comparative analysis of image quality and interchangeability between standard and deep learning-reconstructed T2-weighted spine MRI.

Rationale And Objectives: MRI reconstruction of undersampled data using a deep learning (DL) network has been recently performed as part of accelerated imaging. Herein, we compared DL-reconstructed T2-weighted image (T2-WI) to conventional T2-WI regarding image quality and degenerative lesion detection.

Materials And Methods: Sixty-two patients underwent C-spine (n = 27) or L-spine (n = 35) MRIs, including conventional and DL-reconstructed T2-WI.

New Korean Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Dry Eye Disease.

New Korean guidelines for the diagnosis and management of dry eye disease were developed based on literature reviews by the Korean Dry Eye Guideline Establishment Committee, a previous dry eye guideline by Korean Corneal Disease Study Group, a survey of Korean Dry Eye Society (KDES) members, and KDES consensus meetings. The new definition of dry eye was also proposed by KDES regular members. The new definition by the regular members of the KDES is as follows: "Dry eye is a disease of the ocular surface characterized by tear film abnormalities and ocular symptoms.

Engineering of cell-surface receptors for analysis of receptor internalization and detection of receptor-specific glycosylation.

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a cell-surface glycoprotein that is involved mainly in cell proliferation. Overexpression of this receptor is intimately related to the development of a broad spectrum of tumors. In addition, glycans linked to the EGFR are known to affect its EGF-induced activation.

Categorization of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction Using Lipid Layer Thickness and Meibomian Gland Dropout in Dry Eye Patients: A Retrospective Study.

Purpose: In the present study, we determined the prevalence of obstructive meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), hyposecretory MGD, grossly normal MG, and hypersecretory MGD in patients with dry eye syndrome using lipid layer thickness (LLT) and MG dropout.

Methods: Eighty-eight patients with dry eye syndrome were included in the study. Patients were categorized into four groups according to the LLT and weighted total meiboscore.

A closer look into the cellular and molecular biology of myoepithelial cells across various exocrine glands.

Myoepithelial cells (MECs) are a unique subset of epithelial cells that possess several smooth muscle cell characteristics, such as a high number of actin-myosin filaments and the ability to contract. These cells are primarily located around the secretory cells of exocrine glands, including the salivary, mammary, lacrimal, and sweat glands. Their primary functions involve the construction of the basement membrane and help with secretion of gland products through contraction.

Accelerating acquisition of readout-segmented echo planar imaging (rs-EPI) with a simultaneous multislice (SMS) technique for diffusion-weighted (DW) breast MRI: Evaluation of image quality factors.

Purpose: This study aims to compare the image quality, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) values, and scan time between readout-segmented echo planar imaging (rs-EPI) and simultaneous multislice (SMS) rs-EPI sequences.

Methods: A total of 80 consecutive women who underwent breast diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) were included, and two rs-EPI DWI sequences with and without SMS were acquired and compared. Qualitative analysis involved three radiologists independently scoring image quality and radiologist preference.

Affinity-Directed Site-Specific Protein Labeling and Its Application to Antibody-Drug Conjugates.

Chemically modified proteins have diverse applications; however, conventional chemo-selective methods often yield heterogeneously labeled products. To address this limitation, site-specific protein labeling holds significant potential, driving extensive research in this area. Nevertheless, site-specific modification of native proteins remains challenging owing to the complexity of their functional groups.

Deep learning-based k-space-to-image reconstruction and super resolution for diffusion-weighted imaging in whole-spine MRI.

Purpose: To assess the feasibility of deep learning (DL)-based k-space-to-image reconstruction and super resolution for whole-spine diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI).

Method: This retrospective study included 97 consecutive patients with hematologic and/or oncologic diseases who underwent DL-processed whole-spine MRI from July 2022 to March 2023. For each patient, conventional (CONV) axial single-shot echo-planar DWI (b = 50, 800 s/mm) was performed, followed by DL reconstruction and super resolution processing.

Distortion correction using topup algorithm by single k-space (TASK) for echo planar imaging.

Distortion of echo planar imaging (EPI) can be corrected using B field maps, which can be estimated with the topup algorithm that requires two EPI images with opposite distortions. In this study, we propose a new algorithm, termed topup algorithm by single K-space (TASK), to generate two input images from a single k-space for the topup algorithm to correct EPI distortions. The centric EPI contains the opposite phase-encoding polarities in one k-space, which can be divided into two halves with opposite distortions.

Local Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells Impair Progression of Experimental Autoimmune Uveitis by Alleviating Oxidative Stress and Inflammation.

Purpose: To evaluate the immune regulatory effect of human cord blood myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) models.

Methods: MDSCs (1 × 106) or PBS were injected into established C57BL/6 EAU mice via the subconjunctival route on days 0 and 7. The severity of intraocular inflammation was evaluated for up to 3 weeks.

The Degree of Hydronephrosis as an Indicator of the Necessity for Ureteric Dilatation during Ureteroscopic Lithotripsy.

During rigid ureteroscopic lithotripsy, it is often encountered that the ureter is difficult to access. Attempts to advance the ureteroscope make the surgery more difficult. This study evaluated the preoperative predictive factors associated with difficult ureteral access (difficult ureter (DU)) during URS and assessed if clinical outcomes differed according to the degree of DU.

The First Transcriptomic Atlas of the Adult Lacrimal Gland Reveals Epithelial Complexity and Identifies Novel Progenitor Cells in Mice.

The lacrimal gland (LG) secretes aqueous tears. Previous studies have provided insights into the cell lineage relationships during tissue morphogenesis. However, little is known about the cell types composing the adult LG and their progenitors.

Single-cell transcriptomics suggest distinct upstream drivers of IL-17A/F in hidradenitis versus psoriasis.

Background: On the basis of the mounting evidence that type 17 T (T17) cells and increased IL-17 play a key role in driving hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) lesion development, biologic agents used previously in psoriasis that block signaling of IL-17A and/or IL-17F isoforms have been repurposed to treat HS.

Objective: Our research aimed to characterize the transcriptome of HS T17 cells compared to the transcriptome of psoriasis T17 cells, along with their ligand-receptor interactions with neighborhood immune cell subsets.

Methods: Single-cell data of 12,300 cutaneous immune cells from 8 deroofing surgical HS skin samples including dermal tunnels were compared to single-cell data of psoriasis skin (19,525 cells from 11 samples) and control skin (11,920 cells from 10 samples).

Deep Learning-Accelerated Liver Diffusion-Weighted Imaging: Intraindividual Comparison and Additional Phantom Study of Free-Breathing and Respiratory-Triggering Acquisitions.

Objectives: Deep learning-reconstructed diffusion-weighted imaging (DL-DWI) is an emerging promising time-efficient method for liver evaluation, but analyses regarding different motion compensation strategies are lacking. This study evaluated the qualitative and quantitative features, sensitivity for focal lesion detection, and scan time of free-breathing (FB) DL-DWI and respiratory-triggered (RT) DL-DWI compared with RT conventional DWI (C-DWI) in the liver and a phantom.

Materials And Methods: Eighty-six patients indicated for liver MRI underwent RT C-DWI, FB DL-DWI, and RT DL-DWI with matching imaging parameters other than the parallel imaging factor and number of averages.

Combining Transurethral Resection of Fibrous Tissue and Temporary Urethral Stent Insertion Is an Optimal Strategy for Minimally Invasive Treatment of Recurrent and Long Urethral Strictures.

This study investigated the optimal strategy for the treatment of chronic recurrent urethral strictures longer than 3 cm, using a temporary urethral stent. Between September 2011 and June 2021, 36 patients with chronic bulbomembranous urethral strictures underwent temporary urethral stent placement. Retrievable self-expandable polymer-coated bulbar urethral stents (BUSs) were placed in 21 patients (group A), and thermo-expandable nickel-titanium alloy urethral stents were placed in 15 patients (group M).

An agonistic anti-Tie2 antibody suppresses the normal-to-tumor vascular transition in the glioblastoma invasion zone.

Tumor progression is intimately associated with the vasculature, as tumor proliferation induces angiogenesis and tumor cells metastasize to distant organs via blood vessels. However, whether tumor invasion is associated with blood vessels remains unknown. As glioblastoma (GBM) is featured by aggressive invasion and vascular abnormalities, we characterized the onset of vascular remodeling in the diffuse tumor infiltrating zone by establishing new spontaneous GBM models with robust invasion capacity.

Clinical Outcomes of Endoscope-Assisted Pulmonary Endarterectomy for Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension.

Purpose: Pulmonary thromboembolism is a potentially life-threatening condition in patients with heart disease; however, limited studies discussing long-term outcomes exist. This study aimed to investigate the long-term outcomes of pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), focusing on the improvement of functional class and right ventricular (RV) pressure.

Materials And Methods: Clinical data of patients with CTEPH were obtained from Yonsei Hospital between May 2012 and December 2021, and reviewed retrospectively.

Spatially and velocity-selective magnetization preparation for noncontrast-enhanced peripheral MR angiography.

The purpose of the current study was to develop spatially and velocity-selective (SVS) magnetization preparation pulses for noncontrast-enhanced peripheral MR angiography (MRA) to provide comparisons with velocity-selective (VS) MRA with comparison to velocity-selective (VS). VS preparation pulses were designed by concatenating multiple excitation steps, each of which was a combination of a hard RF pulse, VS unipolar gradient pulses, and refocusing RF pulses. SVS preparation pulses were designed by replacing the hard RF pulse with a sinc-shaped RF pulse combined with a symmetric tripolar gradient pulse (which does not perturb the velocity encoding by the VS unipolar gradient pulses).