Effects of Antioxidant Amino Acids on Cancer Sarcopenia.

Cancer sarcopenia is highly prevalent in patients with advanced cancer, which is closely related to the disease prognosis. Overcoming cancer sarcopenia is important for cancer treatment. Cystine and theanine (CT), antioxidant amino acids, have been applied to the nutritional intervention of various diseases but their effects remain unclear on cancer sarcopenia.

Characteristics of cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome in patients with acute cerebellar stroke and its impact on outcome.

Purpose: To evaluate the cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome scale (CCAS-S) in patients with acute cerebellar stroke (ACS) and examine its relationship with the discharge destination.

Methods: Patients with first-time ACS admitted to our hospital between April 2021 and April 2023 were included. The CCAS-S, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) were evaluated 1 week after stroke onset, and Functional Independence Measure (FIM)/Barthel Index (BI) at discharge, duration of hospitalization, and discharge destination were evaluated.

Caprylic Acid Inhibits High Mobility Group Box-1-Induced Mitochondrial Damage in Myocardial Tubes.

Myocardial damage significantly impacts the prognosis of patients with cancer; however, the mechanisms of myocardial damage induced by cancer and its treatment remain unknown. We previously reported that medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) improve cancer-induced myocardial damage but did not evaluate the differences in effect according to MCFA type. Therefore, this study investigated the role of inflammatory cytokines in cancer-induced myocardial damage and the effects of three types of MCFAs (caprylic acid [C8], capric acid [C10], and lauric acid [C12]).

Differential Effects of Three Medium-Chain Fatty Acids on Mitochondrial Quality Control and Skeletal Muscle Maturation.

Nutritional interventions are one focus of sarcopenia treatment. As medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) are oxidized in the mitochondria and produce energy through oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), they are key parts of nutritional interventions. We investigated the in vitro effects of three types of MCFA, caprylic acid (C8), capric acid (C10), and lauric acid (C12), in skeletal muscle cells.

Significance of CD10 for Mucosal Immunomodulation by β-Casomorphin-7 in Exacerbation of Ulcerative Colitis.

β-Casomorphin-7 (BCM), a breakdown product of milk β-casein, exhibits opioid activity. Opioids are known to affect the immune system, but the effects of BCM on ulcerative colitis (UC) are not clear. We examined the effects of BCM on mucosal immunity using a mouse dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis model and an in vitro CD8+ T cell activation model.

Reversible Adsorption of Ammonia in the Crystalline Solid of a COH-Functionalized Cyclic Oligophenylene.

Ammonia (NH) is a viable candidate for the storage and distribution of hydrogen (H) due to its exceptional volumetric and gravimetric hydrogen energy density. Therefore, it is desirable to develop NH storage materials that exhibit robust stability across numerous adsorption-desorption cycles. While porous materials with polymeric frameworks are often used for NH capture, achieving reversible NH uptake remains a formidable challenge, primarily due to the high reactivity of NH.

Factors influencing the reduction in quadriceps muscle thickness in the paretic limbs of patients with acute stroke.

Background & Aims: Muscle atrophy is an early event that occurs after stroke, but there are few reports on the changes in skeletal muscle thickness in acute stroke. This study investigated the factors contributing to reduced muscle thickness in patients with acute stroke.

Methods: In total, 51 patients with stroke and the National Institute of the Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) > 3 were included in our study.

Mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis of proteins adsorbed by hexadecyl-immobilized cellulose bead column for the treatment of dialysis-related amyloidosis.

Background: Dialysis-related amyloidosis (DRA) is a severe complication in end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients undergoing long-term dialysis treatment, characterized by the deposition of β-microglobulin-related amyloids (Aβ2M amyloid). To inhibit DRA progression, hexadecyl-immobilized cellulose bead (HICB) columns are employed to adsorb circulating β-microglobulin (β2M). However, it is possible that the HICB also adsorbs other molecules involved in amyloidogenesis.

Demonstration of the Formation of a Selenocysteine Selenenic Acid through Hydrolysis of a Selenocysteine Selenenyl Iodide Utilizing a Protective Molecular Cradle.

Selenocysteine selenenic acids (Sec-SeOHs) and selenocysteine selenenyl iodides (Sec-SeIs) have long been recognized as crucial intermediates in the catalytic cycle of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and iodothyronine deiodinase (Dio), respectively. However, the observation of these reactive species remained elusive until our recent study, where we successfully stabilized Sec-SeOHs and Sec-SeIs using a protective molecular cradle. Here, we report the first demonstration of the chemical transformation from a Sec-SeI to a Sec-SeOH through alkaline hydrolysis.

Relationship between ETCO and PaCO under Changing Capnogram in Ventilated Infants with NAVA: An Observational Study.

This observational study evaluated the validity of end-tidal CO (ETCO) as a surrogate for arterial PCO (PaCO) in infants on neurally adjusted ventilatory assist (NAVA), particularly considering the influence of variable spontaneous breathing on capnography waveforms. The study involved 16 infants, analyzing 50 paired ETCO and PaCO values. Deming regression analysis highlighted a notably stronger correlation for maximum ETCO (r = 0.

ERVK13-1/miR-873-5p/GNMT Axis Promotes Metastatic Potential in Human Bladder Cancer though Sarcosine Production.

N-methyl-glycine (sarcosine) is known to promote metastatic potential in some cancers; however, its effects on bladder cancer are unclear. T24 cells derived from invasive cancer highly expressed GNMT, and S-adenosyl methionine (SAM) treatment increased sarcosine production, promoting proliferation, invasion, anti-apoptotic survival, sphere formation, and drug resistance. In contrast, RT4 cells derived from non-invasive cancers expressed low GNMT, and SAM treatment did not produce sarcosine and did not promote malignant phenotypes.

Timing of Elective Cesarean Section and Neonatal Outcomes in Term Singleton Deliveries: A Single-Center Experience.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the timing of elective cesarean sections at 37 to 41 weeks from a tertiary hospital in Japan. The primary outcome was the rate of adverse neonatal outcomes, especially focusing on neonates delivered at 38 weeks of gestation.

Study Design: The study population was drawn from singleton pregnancies delivered following planned cesarean birth at the Fukuda Hospital from 2012 to 2019.

Modeling Selenoprotein -Nitrosation: Synthesis of a -Nitrososelenocysteine with Persistent Stability.

The -nitrosation in selenoproteins such as glutathione peroxidase and thioredoxin reductase to produce -nitrososelenocysteines (Sec-SeNOs) has been proposed to play crucial roles in signaling processes mediated by reactive nitrogen species and nitrosative-stress responses, although chemical evidence for the formation of Sec-SeNOs has been elusive not only in proteins but also in small-molecule systems. Herein, we report the first synthesis of a Sec-SeNO by employing a selenocysteine model system that bears a protective molecular cradle. The Sec-SeNO was characterized using H and Se nuclear magnetic resonance as well as ultraviolet/visible spectroscopy and found to have persistent stability at room temperature in solution.

Role of creatine shuttle in colorectal cancer cells.

The creatine shuttle translocates the energy generated by oxidative phosphorylation to the cytoplasm via mitochondrial creatine kinase (MTCK) and creatine kinase B (CKB) in the cytoplasm. It is not apparent how the creatine shuttle is related to cancer. Here, we analyzed the expression and function of CKB and MTCK in colorectal cancer (CRC) and investigated the role of the creatine shuttle in CRC.

Structural Interconversion Based on Intramolecular Boroxine Formation.

A novel structural interconversion unit based on intramolecular boroxine formation has been developed. A macrocyclic triboronic acid consisting of three phenylboronic acid units linked by covalent linkers preferentially underwent intramolecular rather than intermolecular boroxine formation, resulting in a quantitative formation of tricyclic boroxine. This structural transformation was accompanied by changes in the polarity, flexibility, and size of the molecule.

Ambulation status at an acute care hospital predicts pneumonia and mortality in stroke patients: A retrospective cohort study.

Aim: Higher post-stroke functional performance is associated with lower mortality in patients with stroke. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between ambulation ability in the acute phase of stroke, and pneumonia and mortality 1 year after stroke onset.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included consecutive stroke patients between April 2008 and December 2018.

Modeling of selenocysteine-derived reactive intermediates utilizing a nano-sized molecular cavity as a protective cradle.

In the biological functions of selenoproteins, various highly reactive species formed by oxidative modification of selenocysteine residues have been postulated to play crucial roles. Representative examples of such species are selenocysteine selenenic acids (Sec-SeOHs) and selenocysteine selenenyl iodides (Sec-SeIs), which have been widely recognized as important intermediates in the catalytic cycle of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and iodothyronine deiodinase, respectively. However, examples of even spectroscopic observation of Sec-SeOHs and Sec-SeIs in either protein or small-molecule model systems remain elusive so far, most likely due to their notorious instability.

Suppressive GLI2 fragment enhances liver metastasis in colorectal cancer.

Linoleic acid (LA) has been shown to cause inflammation and promote development of colorectal cancer (CRC). Moreover, many literatures show that LA is associated with cancer metastasis. Metastatic cancer cells have high stemness, suggesting that LA might affect the stemness of cancer cells.

Initial Step of Selenite Reduction via Thioredoxin for Bacterial Selenoprotein Biosynthesis.

Many organisms reductively assimilate selenite to synthesize selenoprotein. Although the thioredoxin system, consisting of thioredoxin 1 (TrxA) and thioredoxin reductase with NADPH, can reduce selenite and is considered to facilitate selenite assimilation, the detailed mechanism remains obscure. Here, we show that selenite was reduced by the thioredoxin system from only in the presence of the TrxA (PsTrxA), and this system was specific to selenite among the oxyanions examined.