C-Mannosyl tryptophan is a novel biomarker for thrombocytosis of myeloproliferative neoplasms.

C-Mannosyl tryptophan (CMW), a unique glycosylated amino acid, is considered to be produced by degradation of C-mannosylated proteins in living organism. Although protein C-mannosylation is involved in the folding and secretion of substrate proteins, the pathophysiological function in the hematological system is still unclear. This study aimed to assess CMW in the human hematological disorders.

Timing of Assessment of Humoral and Cell-Mediated Immunity after Influenza Vaccination.

Assessment of the immune response to influenza vaccines should include an assessment of both humoral and cell-mediated immunity. However, there is a lack of consensus regarding the timing of immunological assessment of humoral and cell-mediated immunity after vaccination. Therefore, we investigated the timing of immunological assessments after vaccination using markers of humoral and cell-mediated immunity.

Reversible and monitorable nephrotoxicity in rats by the novel potent transcriptional enhanced associate domain (TEAD) inhibitor, K-975.

The Hippo pathway plays an important role in the growth, development, and regeneration of cells and organs. Transcriptional enhanced associate domain (TEAD), a transcription activator of the Hippo pathway, forms the complex with a transcriptional coactivator yes-associated protein (YAP) or a transcriptional coactivator PDZ-binding motif (TAZ). Their excessive activations are involved in carcinogenesis such as malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), and thus inhibition of the TEAD complex is expected to have potent anticancer activity against MPM.

Difference in the Mechanism of Iron Overload-Enhanced Acute Hepatotoxicity Induced by Thioacetamide and Carbon Tetrachloride in Rats.

Iron overload has been recognized as a risk factor for liver disease; however, little is known about its pathological role in the modification of liver injury. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of iron overload on liver injury induced by two hepatotoxicants with different pathogenesis in rats. Rats were fed a control (Cont), 0.

JNK inhibition enhances cell-cell adhesion impaired by desmoglein 3 gene disruption in keratinocytes.

c-Jun NH-terminal protein kinase (JNK) and p38 are stress-activated mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) that are phosphorylated by various stimuli. It has been reported that the loss of desmoglein (DSG) 3, a desmosomal transmembrane core molecule, in keratinocytes impairs cell-cell adhesion accompanied by p38 MAPK activation. To understand the biological role of DSG3 in desmosomes and its relationship with stress-activated MAPKs, we established DSG3 knockout keratinocytes (KO cells).

A patient with pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis carrying a novel gene variant.

Pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis is a recently recognized clinical entity characterized by interstitial pneumonia with proliferating elastin in the upper lung regions. Pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis is categorized as idiopathic or reported depending on the coexistent initiating factors; however, congenital contractural arachnodactyly, which is caused by abnormal production of elastin based on a mutation in the gene, is rarely reported with lung lesion resembling pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis. We present a case of pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis in a patient with a novel mutation in the gene, which encodes the prenatal fibrillin-2 protein as a scaffold for elastin.

A Study of Race Pacing in the Running Leg of the Japan University Triathlon Championship.

Choosing an appropriate pacing strategy is important for good triathlon performance. In the Japan Student Triathlon Championship held in 2020, the men's category was divided into two groups, which was a different racing style from the previous races that all athletes start at the same time. It is highly likely that the performance level will vary as grouping was performed according to the competence of each player.

Effects of lung volume and trigeminal nerve stimulation on diving response in breath-hold divers and non-divers.

Purpose: This study investigated the effects of lung volume and trigeminal nerve stimulation (TS) on diving responses in breath-hold divers (BHDs) and non-divers (NDs).

Methods: Eight BHDs and nine NDs performed four breath-hold trials at different lung volumes, with or without TS, and one trial of TS. Haemodynamic parameters and electrocardiograms were measured for each trial.

Inhibition of retinoid X receptor improved the morphology, localization of desmosomal proteins and paracellular permeability in three-dimensional cultures of mouse keratinocytes.

Retinoic acid (RA) plays an important role in epithelial homeostasis and influences the morphology, proliferation, differentiation and permeability of epithelial cells. Mouse keratinocytes, K38, reconstituted non-keratinized stratified epithelium in three-dimensional (3D) cultures with serum, which contains retinol (a source of RA), but the morphology was different from in vivo epithelium. The formed epithelium was thick, with loosened cell-cell contacts.

Changes in the skin characteristics associated with dehydration and rehydration.

The present study aimed to test the hypothesis that changes in the dermal tissue dielectric constant (TDC) and biomechanical properties of the skin would be correlated with the indicators related to dehydration. Ten healthy adult men were enrolled in three trials: no fluid intake (DEH), fluid intake (AL-HYD), and programmed fluid intake (P-HYD) after exercise in a randomised crossover design. The participants performed a pedalling exercise at 60% heart rate reserve until 2% body mass loss.

Factors That Influence the Judgment of Oral Management Necessity in Preoperative Oral Screening.

Oral management during the perioperative period is important to prevent the development of postoperative complications. However, there are no unified systems to examine the oral status of patients and very few studies have focused on preoperative oral screening. In this study, we examined the oral status of patients who underwent oral screening at a University Hospital.

Protein -Mannosylation and -Mannosyl Tryptophan in Chemical Biology and Medicine.

-Mannosylation is a post-translational modification of proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum. Monomeric α-mannose is attached to specific Trp residues at the first Trp in the Trp-x-x-Trp/Cys (W-x-x-W/C) motif of substrate proteins, by the action of -mannosyltransferases, -related gene products. The acceptor substrate proteins are included in the thrombospondin type I repeat (TSR) superfamily, cytokine receptor type I family, and others.

Analyses of hemorrhagic diathesis in high-iron diet-fed rats.

Iron overload has been well recognized to cause oxidant-mediated cellular/tissue injury; however, little is known about the effects of iron overload on the blood coagulation system. We encountered an unexpected bleeding tendency in rats fed a high-iron diet in a set of studies using iron-modified diets. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of hemorrhagic diathesis induced by dietary iron overload in rats.

Quantification of serum C-mannosyl tryptophan by novel assay to evaluate renal function and vascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes.

C-Mannosyl tryptophan (CMW) is a unique glycosylated amino acid, and a candidate novel biomarker of renal function. In type 2 diabetes (T2D), a combination of metabolites including CMW has recently been the focus of novel biomarkers for the evaluation of renal function and prediction of its decline. However, previous quantification methods for serum CMW have several limitations.

Effect of Mucosal Brushing on the Serum Levels of C-Reactive Protein for Patients Hospitalized with Acute Symptoms.

This study was based in a hospital setting. Patients with acute symptoms face a life-threatening crisis and often have systemic complications during the convalescence stage. During the acute stage, oral function does not work and oral hygiene status deteriorates.

Dietary Iron Overload Differentially Modulates Chemically-Induced Liver Injury in Rats.

Hepatic iron overload is well known as an important risk factor for progression of liver diseases; however, it is unknown whether it can alter the susceptibility to drug-induced hepatotoxicity. Here we investigate the pathological roles of iron overload in two single-dose models of chemically-induced liver injury. Rats were fed a high-iron (Fe) or standard diet (Cont) for four weeks and were then administered with allyl alcohol (AA) or carbon tetrachloride (CCl).

Monomeric C-mannosyl tryptophan is a degradation product of autophagy in cultured cells.

C-Mannosyl tryptophan (C-Man-Trp) is a unique glycosylated amino acid present in various eukaryotes. The C-Man-Trp structure can be found as a monomeric form or a part of post-translational modifications within polypeptide chains in living organisms. However, the mechanism of how monomeric C-Man-Trp is produced has not been fully investigated.

Role of C-mannosylation in the secretion of mindin.

Background: Mindin (spondin2), a secretory protein related to neural development and immunity, is a member of thrombospondin type I repeat (TSR) superfamily proteins, and has a unique glycosylation of C-mannosylation in its structure. However, it remains unclear whether C-mannosylation plays a functional role in the biosynthesis of mindin in cells.

Methods: Protein C-mannosylation was analyzed by mass spectrometry.

Risk factors for postoperative pneumonia according to examination findings before surgery under general anesthesia.

Objective: This study was performed to determine the risk factors associated with postoperative complications after surgery under general anesthesia according to respiratory function test results and oral conditions.

Materials And Methods: Preoperative examination data were collected for 471 patients who underwent surgery under general anesthesia at the Medical Hospital of Kyusyu University. Respiratory function tests, oral examinations, and perioperative oral management were performed in all patients.

The reduced susceptibility of mouse keratinocytes to retinoic acid may be involved in the keratinization of oral and esophageal mucosal epithelium.

Keratinocytes take up serum-derived retinol (vitamin A) and metabolize it to all-trans-retinoic acid (atRA), which binds to the nuclear retinoic acid receptor (RAR). We previously reported that serum-affected keratinocyte differentiation and function; namely, it inhibited keratinization, decreased loricrin (LOR) and claudin (CLDN) 1 expression, increased keratin (K) 4 and CLDN4 levels, and reduced paracellular permeability in three-dimensional (3D) cultures of mouse keratinocytes (COCA). Contrarily, RAR inhibition reversed these changes.

C-Mannosyl tryptophan increases in the plasma of patients with ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer survival is poor, in part, because there are no specific biomarkers for early diagnosis. C-Mannosyl tryptophan (CMW) is a structurally unique glycosylated amino acid recently identified as a novel biomarker of renal dysfunction. The present study investigated whether blood CMW is altered in patients with ovarian cancer and whether differences in blood CMW can distinguish benign from malignant ovarian tumors.

A novel assay for detection and quantification of C-mannosyl tryptophan in normal or diabetic mice.

C-Mannosyl tryptophan (C-Man-Trp) is a unique molecule in that an α-mannose is connected to the indole C2 carbon atom of a Trp residue via C-glycosidic linkage. Although serum C-Man-Trp may be a novel biomarker of renal function in humans, the biological significance of C-Man-Trp has yet to be fully investigated. In this study, a novel assay system for C-Man-Trp was established using hydrophilic-interaction liquid chromatography, followed by detecting the fluorescence intensity or mass abundance of C-Man-Trp.

Dietary Iron Overload Abrogates Chemically-Induced Liver Cirrhosis in Rats.

Chronic liver disease is an intractable disease, which can progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatic iron overload is considered to be involved in the progression of chronic liver diseases; however, the mechanism remains to be elucidated. Here we investigate the role of dietary iron overload using chemically-induced liver cirrhosis model.

Photoinduced formation of an azobenzene-based CD-active supramolecular cyclic dimer.

A series of new photo-responsive amino acid-derived azobenzenedicarboxylic acid derivatives (S)-1 a-e were synthesized. Compound (S)-1 a in the trans form exhibited no circular dichroism (CD) signal in DMF under ambient conditions, whereas intense Cotton effects were observed upon UV irradiation, indicating the formation of a chiral supramolecular structure in the cis form. The CD signals disappeared when trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) was added to the solution.