Novel and potent MICA/B antibody is therapeutically effective in mutant lung cancer models.

Background: Concurrent (STK11, KL) mutant non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) do not respond well to current immune checkpoint blockade therapies, however targeting major histocompatibility complex class I-related chain A or B (MICA/B), could pose an alternative therapeutic strategy through activation of natural killer (NK) cells.

Methods: Expression of NK cell activating ligands in NSCLC cell line and patient data were analyzed. Cell surface expression of MICA/B in NSCLC cell lines was determined through flow cytometry while ligand shedding in both patient blood and cell lines was determined through ELISA.

Atypical sagittal suture craniosynostosis: pathological considerations for early closure of the anterior part of the sagittal suture.

Sagittal suture synostosis is one of the most common craniosynostoses and is often diagnosed by characteristic narrow and long skull shape, scaphocephaly. However, some patients with sagittal suture synostosis do not present with typical scaphocephaly, making early diagnosis difficult. In this study, five cases of characteristic skull deformity showing a narrowing of the cranium posterior to the coronal suture on computed tomography (CT) are presented.

The NMIJ air kerma primary standard for high energy x-ray beams in 300-450 kV.

Accurate radiation dosimetry is required for radiation protection in various environments. Therefore, dosemeters and dose-rate meters must be calibrated in standard radiation fields. The National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ) expands the energy range of x-ray reference field measurement up to 450 kV using a cylindrical graphite-walled cavity ionization chamber.

Genetic mitigation strategies to tackle agricultural GHG emissions: The case for biological nitrification inhibition technology.

Accelerated soil-nitrifier activity and rapid nitrification are the cause of declining nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) and enhanced nitrous oxide (NO) emissions from farming. Biological nitrification inhibition (BNI) is the ability of certain plant roots to suppress soil-nitrifier activity, through production and release of nitrification inhibitors. The power of phytochemicals with BNI-function needs to be harnessed to control soil-nitrifier activity and improve nitrogen-cycling in agricultural systems.

Hepatic vein waveform and splenomegaly predict improvement of prothrombin time after splenectomy in hepatitis C virus-related cirrhotic patients.

Aim: Whether hepatic function can recover in cirrhotic patients after splenectomy remains controversial.

Methods: All consecutive Japanese patients with hepatic cirrhosis due to hepatitis C who had undergone elective splenectomy in Kyushu University Hospital between January 2008 and December 2009 were included in this retrospective study. Prothrombin time, serum albumin and total bilirubin concentrations were reviewed before and after splenectomy and analyzed to clarify whether splenectomy improves hepatic function in patients with cirrhosis and to determine the factors predictive of improvement in hepatic function.