Mandibular Reconstruction by Using a Liquid Nitrogen-Treated Autograft in a Dog with an Oral Tumor.

A 10 yr old intact female German shepherd dog presented with a large peripheral odontogenic fibroma and malignant melanoma on her lower jaw. The tumor was resected with a unilateral subtotal rostral hemimandibulectomy. After the mandible was removed, it was devitalized intraoperatively by freezing it in liquid nitrogen.

[Immunoglobulin G4-related sclerosing cholangitis diagnosed by liver biopsy: a case report].

Patients with immunoglobulin (Ig) G4-related sclerosing cholangitis typically have a high serum IgG4 level. However, here we describe our experience of a patient with a normal serum IgG4 level for whom the cholangitis was diagnosed by liver biopsy. A 61-year-old male presented with elevated liver enzymes and a normal serum IgG4 level.

Two strains of roof rats as effective models for assessing new-object reaction.

Wild animals generally avoid even small and harmless novel objects and/or familiar objects moved to a novel position, which is termed "new-object reaction". Although new-object reaction appears to be a biologically important characteristic for animals, little progress has been made in understanding the neural mechanisms underlying new-object reaction. One reason might be the lack of effective experimental animals.

Particulate photocatalyst sheets for Z-scheme water splitting: advantages over powder suspension and photoelectrochemical systems and future challenges.

Water splitting using semiconductor photocatalysts has been attracting growing interest as a means of solar energy based conversion of water to hydrogen, a clean and renewable fuel. Z-scheme photocatalytic water splitting based on the two-step excitation of an oxygen evolution photocatalyst (OEP) and a hydrogen evolution photocatalyst (HEP) is a promising approach toward the utilisation of visible light. In particular, a photocatalyst sheet system consisting of HEP and OEP particles embedded in a conductive layer has been recently proposed as a new means of obtaining efficient and scalable redox mediator-free Z-scheme solar water splitting.

The 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Pneumococcal pneumonia is the most frequent form of pneumonia. We herein assessed the effectiveness of the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) in the prevention of pneumonia overall in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients at risk for infections. We hypothesized that PPSV23 vaccination is superior in preventing pneumococcal pneumonia compared with placebo in RA patients.

TOMATOMICS: A Web Database for Integrated Omics Information in Tomato.

Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) is an important agronomic crop and a major model fruit-producing plant. To facilitate basic and applied research, comprehensive experimental resources and omics information on tomato are available following their development. Mutant lines and cDNA clones from a dwarf cultivar, Micro-Tom, are two of these genetic resources.

Clear cell carcinoma of the lower uterine segment: A case report.

Uterine carcinoma of the lower uterine segment (LUS) is a rare tumor that accounts for 3-3.5% of cases of uterine malignant cancer. The tumor arises from the lower region of the uterine body through the upper region of the cervix.

Particulate Photocatalyst Sheets Based on Carbon Conductor Layer for Efficient Z-Scheme Pure-Water Splitting at Ambient Pressure.

Development of sunlight-driven water splitting systems with high efficiency, scalability, and cost-competitiveness is a central issue for mass production of solar hydrogen as a renewable and storable energy carrier. Photocatalyst sheets comprising a particulate hydrogen evolution photocatalyst (HEP) and an oxygen evolution photocatalyst (OEP) embedded in a conductive thin film can realize efficient and scalable solar hydrogen production using Z-scheme water splitting. However, the use of expensive precious metal thin films that also promote reverse reactions is a major obstacle to developing a cost-effective process at ambient pressure.

Enhancement of Charge Separation and Hydrogen Evolution on Particulate LaTiCuSO Photocathodes by Surface Modification.

Particulate LaTiCuSO (LTC) photocathodes prepared by particle transfer show a positive onset potential of 0.9 V vs RHE for the photocathodic current in photoelectrochemical (PEC) H evolution. However, the low photocathodic current imposes a ceiling on the solar-to-hydrogen energy conversion efficiency of PEC cells based on LTC photocathodes.

Incidence of hepatitis B virus reactivation in patients with resolved infection on immunosuppressive therapy for rheumatic disease: a multicentre, prospective, observational study in Japan.

Background: Although the reactivation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is recognised as a serious complication in patients with rheumatic disease (RD) receiving immunosuppressive drugs (ISDs), the incidence and risk factors for reactivation remain controversial.

Objectives: To investigate the incidence and risk factors for HBV reactivation in patients with RD.

Methods: We performed a multicentre, observational, prospective study over 2 years in patients with resolved HBV infection.

Germline mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 in epithelial ovarian cancer patients in Brazil.

Background: Approximately 8-15% epithelial ovarian cancer patients are BRCA1 or BRCA2 germline mutation carriers. Brazilian inhabitants may have peculiar genetic characteristics associated with ethnic diversity, and studies focusing on the entire BRCA1/BRCA2 gene sequencing in Brazilian ovarian cancer patients are still lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate BRCA1/2 mutations, through entire gene sequencing, in a Brazilian population of women with epithelial ovarian cancer.

Arp2/3 complex and Mps3 are required for regulation of ribosome biosynthesis in the secretory stress response.

Secretory defects cause transcriptional repression of ribosome biogenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, the molecular mechanism underlying secretory defect-induced transcriptional repression of ribosome biogenesis remains to be fully elucidated. In this study, we demonstrated that the Arp2/3 complex was required for reduction of ribosome protein gene expression in response to defective secretion by addition of tunicamycin.

Receptor clustering and activation by multivalent interaction through recognition peptides presented on exosomes.

We demonstrate a novel system for inducing clustering of cell surface receptors via recognition peptide segments displayed on exosomes, leading to receptor activation. With this system, targeting of receptor-expressing cells and facilitation of the endocytic uptake of exosomes, which contained the anti-cancer protein saporin, were successfully achieved, leading to cell death.

Augmented Repair of an Achilles Tendon Rupture Using the Flexor Digitorum Lateralis Tendon in a Toy Poodle.

Objective: To report appositional augmentation of Achilles tendon rupture in a toy breed dog with an intact flexor digitorum lateralis (FDL) muscle tendon.

Study Design: Clinical case report.

Animals: Two-year-old spayed female Toy Poodle with Achilles tendon rupture.

Usefulness of Measuring the Serum Elastin Fragment Level in the Diagnosis of an Acute Aortic Dissection.

Previous reports have shown that serum elastin fragments (SEFs) may be a useful biomarker for the diagnosis of an acute aortic dissection (AAD). However, because the reference interval of SEFs has not been established, it has not been determined whether SEFs are really useful for the diagnosis of AAD. The purpose of this study was to determine the usefulness of measuring SEFs for the diagnosis of AAD.

Visible Light-Driven Z-Scheme Water Splitting Using Oxysulfide H Evolution Photocatalysts.

A SmTiSO (STSO) oxysulfide photocatalyst prepared by a novel flux method showed a higher degree of crystallinity and greater photocatalytic activity than that prepared by conventional polymerized complex and sulfurization processes. Co-loading with both IrO, as an oxidative cocatalyst, and Pt, as a reductive cocatalyst, was found to be essential for promoting the photocatalytic activity of the STSO. Visible light-driven Z-scheme water splitting into H and O was realized by utilizing the STSO photocatalyst for H evolution in conjunction with a WO photocatalyst treated with H and Cs and loaded with PtO for O evolution, and a triiodide/iodide (I/I) redox couple as a shuttle electron mediator.

Thin film transfer for the fabrication of tantalum nitride photoelectrodes with controllable layered structures for water splitting.

The fabrication of semiconductor films on conductive substrates is vital to the production of high-performance electrodes for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. In this work, a thin film transfer method was developed to produce TaN film photoanodes for PEC water oxidation. Phase-pure TaN thin films were formed on inert Si substrates magnetron sputtering of Ta films, followed by oxidation and subsequent nitridation in a flow of gaseous NH.

Proliferative and necrotizing otitis externa in a kitten: successful treatment with intralesional and topical corticosteroid therapy.

Proliferative and necrotising otitis externa (PNOE) is a very rare disease affecting the ear canals and concave pinnae of kittens. This report describes a 5-month-old cat with PNOE. Histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis.

Highly Efficient Water Oxidation Photoanode Made of Surface Modified LaTiO N Particles.

An improved variation of highly active/durable O -evolving LaTiO N powder-based photoelectrode has been fabricated by pre-cleaning the powder with mild polysulfonic acid and by homogeneous deposition of CoO co-catalyst aided by microwave annealing. The treatment in aqueous solution of poly(4-styrene sulfonic acid) results in removal of surface LaTiO N layers, forming fine pores in the crystallites. The CoO co-catalyst by microwave deposition in Co(NH ) Cl /ethylene glycol homogeneously covers the particle surface.

Association of HLA-G 3' Untranslated Region Polymorphisms with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in a Japanese Population: A Case-Control Association Study.

HLA-G plays a role in fetal-maternal tolerance as well as immunoregulation, and has been suggested to be involved in autoimmune diseases and cancers. HLA-G encodes two potentially functional polymorphisms in the 3' untranslated region, 14bp insertion/deletion (14bp indel, rs371194629) and a single nucleotide polymorphism rs1063320, previously reported to affect HLA-G expression level or splicing isoform and to be associated with susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, the results of SLE association studies are inconsistent, probably due to the small sample size of each study and lack of consideration of linkage disequilibrium (LD) with HLA-class II haplotypes in each population.

A dimer model of human calcitonin13-32 forms an α-helical structure and robustly aggregates in 50% aqueous 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol solution.

Determining the cause of human calcitonin (hCT) aggregation could be of help in the effort to utilize hCT for treatment of hypercalcemia. Here we report that a dimer model of hCT13-32 aggregated to a greater degree than native hCT under aqueous 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol conditions. Analyses using circular dichroism spectroscopy, thioflavine-T binding assays and atomic force microscopy suggest that the α-helical portion of hCT is important for initiation of the aggregation process, which yields long fibrils.

Ionic Conduction in Lithium Ion Battery Composite Electrode Governs Cross-sectional Reaction Distribution.

Composite electrodes containing active materials, carbon and binder are widely used in lithium-ion batteries. Since the electrode reaction occurs preferentially in regions with lower resistance, reaction distribution can be happened within composite electrodes. We investigate the relationship between the reaction distribution with depth direction and electronic/ionic conductivity in composite electrodes with changing electrode porosities.

microManaging glucose and lipid metabolism in skeletal muscle: Role of microRNAs.

MicroRNAs have been described as important regulators of skeletal muscle differentiation and development, but the role of microRNAs in glucose and lipid metabolism is less well established. Here we review the microRNAs involved in insulin resistance and glucose metabolism, as well as microRNAs regulating lipid metabolism and mitochondrial functions in skeletal muscle, with an emphasis on metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes and the adaptive response to exercise training. Finally, we raise some methodological considerations for studying microRNAs, as well as challenges investigators may face when elucidating the direct role of microRNAs in the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism in skeletal muscle.

Heart rate variability predicts the emotional state in dogs.

Although it is known that heart rate variability (HRV) is a useful indicator of emotional states in animals, there are few reports of research in dogs. Thus, we investigated the relationship between HRV and emotional states in dogs. The electrocardiogram and behavior in two situations that elicited a positive and negative emotion, in addition to baseline (when dogs were not presented any social stimuli), were recorded in 33 healthy house dogs.