Exchange of CO with CO as Reactant Switches Selectivity in Photoreduction on Co-ZrO from C Paraffin to Small Olefins.

Photocatalytic reduction of CO into C hydrocarbons completes a C-neutral cycle. The reaction pathways of photocatalytic generation of C paraffin and CH from CO are mostly unclear. Herein, a Co-ZrO photocatalyst converted CO into C paraffin, while selectively converting CO into CH and CH (6.

[A case of Parkinson's disease with marked head drop after administration of donepezil hydrochloride].

A 76-year-old woman with a 2-year history of Parkinson's disease presented with dropped head, which had developed rapidly after she had been prescribed donepezil hydrochloride (DNP) at 3 ‍mg/day. After one month of medication, the extent of the head drop reached 90°. Examination revealed hypertrophy of the left sternocleidomastoid muscle, but no weakness of the extensor muscles in the cervical region.

Photocatalytic CO Reduction Using TiCX (X = Oxo, OH, F, or Cl) MXene-ZrO: Structure, Electron Transmission, and the Stability.

CO photoreduction using a semiconductor-based photocatalyst is a promising option for completing a new carbon-neutral cycle. The short lifetime of charges generated owing to light energy is one of the most critical problems in further improving the performance of semiconductor-based photocatalysts. This study shows the structure, electron transmission, and stability of TiCX (X = oxo, OH, F, or Cl) MXene combined with a ZrO photocatalyst.

Current Status of Robotic Gastrointestinal Surgery.

Development of surgical support robots began in the 1980s as a navigation and auxiliary device for endoscopic surgery. For remote surgery on the battlefield, a master-slave-type surgical support robot was developed, in which a console surgeon operates the robot at will. The da Vinci surgical system, which currently dominates the global robotic surgery market, received United States Food and Drug Administration and regulatory approval in Japan in 2000 and 2009 respectively.

Three 4-monosubstituted butyrolactones from a regulatory gene mutant of Streptomyces rochei 7434AN4.

Extensive metabolite analysis of Streptomyces rochei 7434AN4 was performed to discover uncharacterized secondary metabolites. A mutant strain of S. rochei, in which two regulatory genes srrC (a tetR-type repressor) and srrY (SARP-type activator) were inactivated, accumulated three 4-monosubstituted γ-butyrolactones YT02-A, YT02-B, and KH01-A, which were not detected in the parent strain.

Detection of KRAS mutations in circulating tumour DNA from plasma and urine of patients with colorectal cancer.

Background: Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) is very useful for purposes of cancer genetics; however, it has some limitations. Recently, ctDNA in body fluids, such as urine, sputum, and pleural effusion, has been investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quantity of ctDNA derived from urine (trans-renal ctDNA) and the accuracy of KRAS mutation detection in relation to disease stage in colorectal cancer.

Surgical Management of Colonic Perforation in a Patient with Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome with no Family History: A Case Report.

Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (vEDS) is a rare autosomal dominant connective tissue disease. Patients with vEDS are at a high risk of developing severe complications (such as arterial aneurysm, arterial rupture, intestinal rupture) at an early age. We report a case of colonic perforation in a vEDS patient with no family history of that disease.

Even a partial pathological response is associated with lower relapse rates in patients with operable rectal cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy to treat locally advanced rectal cancer is an effective therapeutic strategy for the prevention of local recurrence and distant organ metastasis after surgery.

Objectives: To assess the prognostic significance of histopathological tumor response in rectal cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Methods: This study included patients with operable rectal cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy using the FOLFOX regimen (5-fluorouracil, l-leucovorin, and oxaliplatin) in a hospital between February 2012 and November 2017.

Oxaliplatin-induced increase in splenic volume: experiences from multicenter study in Japan.

Background: Chemotherapy with oxaliplatin is known to induce sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS). In a previous single-center study, we reported that oxaliplatin-induced increase in splenic volume (SV) is strongly indicative of SOS, and that this increase in SV persisted for > 1 year after completing chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to confirm the oxaliplatin-induced SV change in a multicenter study in patients with stage III colon cancer in Japan.

[Consideration for Prognostic Indicators of Ovarian Metastasis of Colorectal Cancer].

Ovarian metastasis of colorectal cancer is associated with poor prognosis. Recent advances in chemotherapy may improve this prognosis. In this retrospective study, we evaluated indicators of poor prognosis for ovarian metastasis of colorectal cancer.

[Effectiveness of Chemoradiotherapy for the Treatment of Local Recurrence in Rectal Cancer-A Case Report].

Chemoradiotherapy(CRT)for locally recurrent rectal cancer can shrink the tumor and permit R0 resection; however, its effectiveness and safety have not been established. Herein, we report a case of a 60s man with locally recurrent rectal cancer invading the surrounding organs who was administered CRT followed by R0 laparoscopic-assisted abdominoperineal resection( APR). Local recurrence was detected 11 months after laparoscopic-assisted low anterior resection(pT3N0M0, pStage Ⅱ).

Development of transomental hernia shortly after laparoscopic colonic surgery: a case report.

Background: A transomental hernia is defined as bowel invagination into an abnormal hiatus of the omentum. It is a rare type of internal hernia that is sometimes lethal. We herein report a case of a transomental hernia developing shortly after laparoscopic sigmoidectomy.

Determination and analysis of singlet oxygen quantum yields of talaporfin sodium, protoporphyrin IX, and lipidated protoporphyrin IX using near-infrared luminescence spectroscopy.

In photodynamic therapy (PDT), singlet oxygen ([Formula: see text]) is the main species responsible for promoting tumor cell death. The determination of the quantum yield (Φ) of a photosensitizer (PS) is important for dosimetry. The purpose of this paper is to quantify the [Formula: see text] generated by the PS by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS).

Establishment and characterization of a novel neuroendocrine carcinoma cell line derived from a human ascending colon tumor.

The incidence of rare neuroendocrine tumors (NET) is rapidly increasing. Neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) is a NET with poorly differentiated histological features, high proliferative properties and associated poor prognoses. As these carcinomas are so rare and, thus, affect only a small number of patients allowing for few cell lines to be derived from patient biopsies, the histological, immunohistochemical, and clinical characteristics associated with colorectal NEC and NEC in other organs have yet to be clearly defined.

Analysis of colorectal cancer-related mutations by liquid biopsy: Utility of circulating cell-free DNA and circulating tumor cells.

We recruited 56 colorectal cancer patients and compared the mutational spectrum of tumor tissue DNA, circulating cell-free DNA (ccfDNA) and circulating tumor cell (CTC) DNA (ctcDNA) to evaluate the potential of liquid biopsy to detect heterogeneity of cancer. Tumor tissue DNA, ccfDNA, and ctcDNA were extracted from each patient and analyzed using next-generation sequencing (NGS) and digital PCR. To maximize yields of CTC, three antibodies were used in the capture process.

Circulating cell-free long DNA fragments predict post-hepatectomy recurrence of colorectal liver metastases.

Introduction: Most patients with colorectal liver metastases, who undergo hepatectomy, experience recurrence. Although the prognosis is poorer for patients with early recurrence (within 6 months after hepatectomy) compared with later recurrence, no biomarker has been identified to predict early recurrence. Minimal residual disease (MRD) in patients who undergo curative surgery is the main cause of recurrence.

Kynurenine signaling through the aryl hydrocarbon receptor maintains the undifferentiated state of human embryonic stem cells.

Kynurenine, which is generated from tryptophan by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1), binds to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). Here, we report that kynurenine was produced by undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and by induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). In undifferentiated hESCs, kynurenine stimulated the AhR to promote the expression of self-renewal genes.

In Vivo Study on Mechanism Underlying Increased Pharmacological Effects of Phenobarbital in Rats with Glycerol-Induced Acute Renal Failure.

The mechanism underlying the increased pharmacological effects of phenobarbital in rats with glycerol-induced acute renal failure (ARF) was examined. In the experiments, a surgical cannula was inserted in the lateral ventricle of the rats for phenobarbital infusion, and the ARF induction was performed by intramuscular administration of 50% glycerol. The onset time of anesthesia by phenobarbital was determined with the tail flick method.

Liquid Biopsy for the Management of Patients with Colorectal Cancer.

Liquid biopsy is a collective term that refers to the analysis of tumor-derived biomarkers isolated from biological fluids of cancer patients. Recently, many authors reported the usefulness of liquid biopsy for the management of malignancy. Summary and Key Messages: The peripheral blood of cancer patients is a pool of cells and/or cell products derived from the primary or metastatic tumor, including circulating tumor cells (CTCs), circulating free (cf) DNA or RNA, and exosomes containing proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids.

Male sex and history of ischemic heart disease are major risk factors for anastomotic leakage after laparoscopic anterior resection in patients with rectal cancer.

Background: Anastomotic leakage (AL) is the most serious and common complication of surgery for rectal cancer, and associated risk factors remain unknown despite developments in laparoscopic surgery. The present study aimed to determine risk factors for AL after laparoscopic anterior resection (AR) of rectal cancer.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study extracted information from a prospective database of all consecutive colorectal resections that proceeded at Nippon Medical School Hospital between January 2011 and December 2015 (n = 865).

Feasibility of Neoadjuvant FOLFOX Therapy Without Radiotherapy for Baseline Resectable Rectal Cancer.

Background/aim: The combination of oxaliplatin, leucovorin and fluorouracil (FOLFOX) has been established as postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer. However, the safety and efficacy of neoadjuvant FOLFOX in patients with rectal cancer are still controversial. This prospective pilot study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of neoadjuvant FOLFOX therapy without radiation for baseline resectable rectal cancer (RC).

Quinoprotein dehydrogenase functions at the final oxidation step of lankacidin biosynthesis in Streptomyces rochei 7434AN4.

Reinvestigation of the metabolite profile in a disruptant of the quinoprotein dehydrogenase (orf23) gene revealed that the Orf23 protein catalyzes dehydrogenation of the C23-C25 lactate moiety to pyruvate during lankacidin biosynthesis in Streptomyces rochei 7434AN4. The dehydrogenase activity was expressed and detected in a soluble fraction of the Streptomyces lividans recombinant harboring orf23. The Orf23 protein preferentially converts lankacidinol to lankacidin C in the presence of pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ).

A fluidics-based impact sensor.

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based high-performance accelerometers are ubiquitously used in various electronic devices. However, there is an existing need to detect physical impacts using low-cost devices with no electronic circuits or a battery. We designed and fabricated an impact sensor prototype using a commercial stereolithography apparatus that only consists of a plastic housing and working fluids.

Combined use of preoperative lymphocyte counts and the post/preoperative lymphocyte count ratio as a prognostic marker of recurrence after curative resection of stage II colon cancer.

Purpose: Diagnostic markers for recurrence of colorectal cancer have not been established. The aim of the present study was to identify new diagnostic markers for recurrence after curative surgery of stage II colon cancer.

Materials And Methods: In this study, the prognostic values of the preoperative lymphocyte count and the post/preoperative lymphocyte count ratio (PPLR) were evaluated in 142 patients with localized colon cancer treated with surgery at a single medical center.