Efficacy of the Stripped AFX Aortic Cuff as a Scaffolding Bare Stent to Facilitate the Expansion of the Thoracoabdominal and Visceral Aorta during Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair for Complicated Stanford Type B Aortic Dissection.

Purpose: During thoracic endovascular aortic repair for complicated Stanford type B aortic dissection, large bare stent placement for the abdominal aorta is sometimes necessary. In smaller abdominal aortic diameter cases, we used the stripped AFX aortic cuff as a scaffolding bare stent rather than the Zenith Dissection Endovascular Stent, which is a commercially available, large bare stent. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of the stripped AFX aortic cuff and experiments were conducted to compare the stripped AFX and the Zenith Dissection Endovascular Stent.

Light and heavy chain deposition disease with focal amyloid deposition diagnosed with mass spectrometry: a case report.

Background: Light and heavy chain deposition disease (LHCDD) is a rare condition characterised by the deposition of immunoglobulin components in the kidneys. Similarly, Amyloidosis is also caused by the deposition of light chain and/or heavy chain components of immunoglobulins which are folded into amyloid fibrils characterised by Congophilic deposits that exhibit apple-green birefringence under polarised light. Only a handful of reports describing LHCDD with amyloid fibril deposition have been previously published, however, none have characterized the composition of the deposited immunoglobulin components via mass spectrometry.

Antigen/Adjuvant-Displaying Enveloped Viral Replica as a Self-Adjuvanting Anti-Breast-Cancer Vaccine Candidate.

We report a promising cancer vaccine candidate comprising antigen/adjuvant-displaying enveloped viral replica as a novel vaccine platform. The artificial viral capsid, which consists of a self-assembled β-annulus peptide conjugated with an HER2-derived antigenic CH401 peptide, was enveloped within a lipid bilayer containing the lipidic adjuvant α-GalCer. The use of an artificial viral capsid as a scaffold enabled precise control of its size to ∼100 nm, which is generally considered to be optimal for delivery to lymph nodes.

Effect of Macrocycles on the Photochemical and Electrochemical Properties of Cobalt-Dehydrocorrin Complex: Formation and Investigation of Co(I) Species.

Co(II)-pyrocobester (), a dehydrocorrin complex, was semisynthesized from vitamin B (cyanocobalamin), and its photochemical and electrochemical properties were investigated and compared to those of the cobester (), the cobalt-corrin complex. The UV-vis absorptions of in CHCl, ascribed to the π-π* transition, were red-shifted compared to those of due to the π-expansion of the macrocycle in the pyrocobester. The reversible redox couple of was observed at = -0.

Renal Function in Aged C57BL/6J Mice Is Impaired by Deposition of Age-Related Apolipoprotein A-II Amyloid Independent of Kidney Aging.

Spontaneous and age-related amyloidosis has been reported in C57BL/6J mice. However, the biochemical characteristics of age-related amyloidosis remain unclear. Herein, the age-related prevalence of amyloidosis, the types of amyloid fibril proteins, and the effects of amyloid deposition were investigated in renal function in C57BL/6J mice.

Macrophages in the reticuloendothelial system inhibit early induction stages of mouse apolipoprotein A-II amyloidosis.

Amyloidosis refers to a group of degenerative diseases that are characterized by the deposition of misfolded protein fibrils in various organs. Deposited amyloid may be removed by a phagocyte-dependent innate immune system; however, the precise mechanisms during disease progression remain unclear. We herein investigated the properties of macrophages that contribute to amyloid degradation and disease progression using inducible apolipoprotein A-II amyloidosis model mice.

Precise immunological evaluation rationalizes the design of a self-adjuvanting vaccine composed of glycan antigen, TLR1/2 ligand, and T-helper cell epitope.

Sialyl-Tn (STn), overexpressed on various tumors, has been investigated for its application in anti-cancer vaccine therapy. However, Theratope, an STn-based vaccine, failed in the phase III clinical trial due to poor immunogenicity and epitope suppression by the foreign carrier protein. We therefore developed a self-adjuvanting STn based-vaccine, a conjugate of clustered STn (triSTn) antigen, TLR1/2 ligand (PamCSK), and T-helper (Th) cell epitope, and found that this three-component self-adjuvanting vaccine effectively resulted in the production of anti-triSTn IgG antibodies.

Casein kinase 1δ/ε phosphorylates fused in sarcoma (FUS) and ameliorates FUS-mediated neurodegeneration.

Aberrant cytoplasmic accumulation of an RNA-binding protein, fused in sarcoma (FUS), characterizes the neuropathology of subtypes of ALS and frontotemporal lobar degeneration, although the effects of post-translational modifications of FUS, especially phosphorylation, on its neurotoxicity have not been fully characterized. Here, we show that casein kinase 1δ (CK1δ) phosphorylates FUS at 10 serine/threonine residues in vitro using mass spectrometric analyses. We also show that phosphorylation by CK1δ or CK1ε significantly increased the solubility of FUS in human embryonic kidney 293 cells.

Homopolymer--Alternating Copolymers Composed of Acrylamide Units: Design of Transformable Divinyl Monomers and Sequence-Specific Thermoresponsive Properties.

In this work, we synthesized an acrylamide-based terpolymer that is a block copolymer composed of an AB alternating copolymer and a C homopolymer. The key to the unprecedented achievement is rational design of an acrylate-acrylamide divinyl monomer carrying CF-substituted salicylic acid ester bonds (AAm-) to realize the efficient and selective cyclopolymerization as well as the quantitative transformation of the resultant cyclorepeating units. The selectivity in the cyclopolymerization and the pendant transformation ability were evaluated through reactivity ratios of the corresponding model monomers and quantitative aminolysis reactions of the model compound.

Coccomyxa sp.KJ extract affects the fate of T cells stimulated by toxic shock syndrome toxin-1, a superantigen secreted by Staphylococcus aureus.

T cell stimulation by bacterial superantigens induces a cytokine storm. After T cell activation and inflammatory cytokine secretion, regulatory T cells (Treg) are produced to suppress the immune response. Coccomyxa sp.

Three-dimensional structural analysis of mitochondria composing each subtype of fast-twitch muscle fibers in chicken.

In a previous study, the three-dimensional structures of mitochondria in type I and type IIb muscle fibers of chicken were analyzed. The study reported differences in the shape of the mitochondria and the distribution of lipid droplets. In this study, we three-dimensionally analyzed mitochondria and lipid droplets of type II muscle fiber subtypes IIa, IIb, and IIc of chicken lateral iliotibial muscle in the same field of view using correlative light electron microscopy (CLEM) and array tomography methods.

Stillbirth rates and their association with swine leucocyte antigen class II haplotypes in Microminipigs.

Objective: Microminipig (MMP) is a miniature pig with an extra small body size for experimental use. In the present study, the occurrence of stillbirths and their genetic association with swine leukocyte antigen (SLA) class II haplotypes were evaluated in a population of MMPs.

Methods: The occurrences of stillbirth and genetic association with SLA class II haplotypes using 483 stillborn and 2,246 live piglets, and their parents were compared among the three groups of newborn piglet litters; an all stillborn (AS) group consisting of only stillborn piglet litters, a partial stillborn (PS) group consisting of stillborn and live piglet litters, and an all alive (AA) group consisting of only live piglet litters.

One-Pot Preparation of Methacrylate/Styrene Alternating Copolymers via Radical Copolymerization and Alcoholysis Modification: Sequence Impacts on Glass Transition Temperature.

A series of methacrylate/styrene alternating copolymers were efficiently and systematically synthesized via alternating copolymerization of saccharin methacrylamide () with styrene and subsequent one-pot alcoholysis transformation with alcohols. The saccharin amide bond in was stable enough that was used as a bench-stable monomer, but the bond became reactive toward alcohols after the copolymerization. Thanks to the specific feature, the postpolymerization modification could be performed under mild conditions despite easy handling of the monomer.

HER2-antigen-specific humoral immune response in breast cancer lymphocytes transplanted in hu-PBL hIL-4 NOG mice.

The status of humoral immunity of cancer patients is not clear compared to cellular immunity because the ability of specific antibody production is difficult to analyze in vitro. We previously developed a humanized mouse model to evaluate antigen-specific antibody production by transplanting human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) into NOG-hIL-4-Tg mice (hu-PBL hIL-4 NOG). In this study, these mice were transplanted with PBMCs derived from breast cancer patients (BC) and immunized with a human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) peptide, CH401MAP, to analyze humoral immunity of BCs.

Numerical evaluation reveals the effect of branching morphology on vessel transport properties during angiogenesis.

Blood flow governs transport of oxygen and nutrients into tissues. Hypoxic tissues secrete VEGFs to promote angiogenesis during development and in tissue homeostasis. In contrast, tumors enhance pathologic angiogenesis during growth and metastasis, suggesting suppression of tumor angiogenesis could limit tumor growth.

A case of insulinoma effectively treated with low-dose diazoxide.

Diazoxide is a benzothiadiazine that can be effective in managing hypoglycemia in frail patients with surgical risk. We report here a case of insulinoma effectively treated with diazoxide, as our report will be helpful for similar cases.

Two Patients with Paget-Schroetter Syndrome That Were Successfully Diagnosed by Doppler Ultrasonography: Case Studies with a Literature Review.

We herein report on two male patients (age, 22 and 44 years) who were referred to our department with swelling of the upper right arm after attending other hospitals. Right subclavian vein thrombosis was demonstrated by ultrasonography and they were then further evaluated by contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT). Successful treatment involved venous thrombectomy in one patient and anticoagulant therapy in the other.

Distribution of lanthanum carbonate in the gastric mucosa confirmed by electron microscopy with a magnified endoscopy: a case report and literature review.

We describe the case of a 70-year-old man with diabetic nephropathy undergoing hemodialysis. Four years following hemodialysis, he started taking lanthanum carbonate 1500 mg/day and lansoprazole 30 mg/day. Nine years following hemodialysis, he underwent screening esophagogastroduodenoscopy, which demonstrated the presence of the whitish cobblestone-like mucosa in the gastric corpus and multiple reddish depressed lesions with annular whitish mucosa in the antrum.

Syntheses and Immunological Evaluation of Self-Adjuvanting Clustered N-Acetyl and N-Propionyl Sialyl-Tn Combined with a T-helper Cell Epitope as Antitumor Vaccine Candidates.

Sialyl-Tn (STn) is a tumor-associated carbohydrate antigen (TACA) rarely observed on healthy tissues. We synthesized two fully synthetic N-acetyl and N-propionyl STn trimer (triSTn) vaccines possessing a T-helper epitope and a TLR2 agonist, since the clustered STn antigens are highly expressed on many cancer cells. Immunization of both vaccines in mice induced the anti-triSTn IgG antibodies, which recognized triSTn-expressing cell lines PANC-1 and HepG2.

Cyclopolymerization of Cleavable Acrylate-Vinyl Ether Divinyl Monomer via Nitroxide-Mediated Radical Polymerization: Copolymer beyond Reactivity Ratio.

Cyclopolymerization of a divinyl monomer, where two different vinyl groups, that is, acrylate and vinyl ether, are connected via an ester bond, was performed under diluted condition with nitroxide-meditated radical polymerization (NMP). Both vinyl groups were consumed at almost same rate under suitable condition, although the inherent cross-propagation ability between the two vinyl groups are pretty low in radical copolymerization. Furthermore, the polymerization was controlled to some extent to give polymers of unimodal molecular weight distributions.

Effects of filament size on critical current density in overpressure processed Bi-2212 round wire.

BiSrCaCuO (Bi-2212) conductor is the only high temperature superconductor manufactured as a round wire and is a very promising conductor for very high field applications. One of the key design parameters of Bi-2212 wire is its filament size, which has been previously reported to affect the critical current density ( ) and ac losses. Work with 1 bar heat treatment showed that the optimal filament diameter was about 15 μm but it was not well understood at that time that gas bubbles were the main current limiting mechanism.

NOG-hIL-4-Tg, a new humanized mouse model for producing tumor antigen-specific IgG antibody by peptide vaccination.

Immunodeficient mice transplanted with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are promising tools to evaluate human immune responses to vaccines. However, these mice usually develop severe graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), which makes estimation of antigen-specific IgG production after antigen immunization difficult. To evaluate antigen-specific IgG responses in PBMC-transplanted immunodeficient mice, we developed a novel NOD/Shi-scid-IL2rγnull (NOG) mouse strain that systemically expresses the human IL-4 gene (NOG-hIL-4-Tg).