Publications by authors named "Kijun Kim"

Article Synopsis
  • Argonaute proteins play essential roles in RNA silencing, helping regulate gene expression and defend against viruses and transposons in eukaryotes, with two main types: AGOs for miRNA/siRNA and PIWIs for piRNA.
  • Research shows that a specific Argonaute protein, HrAgo1, from the Lokiarchaeon 'Candidatus Harpocratesius repetitus,' shares a common ancestry with eukaryotic PIWI proteins and is capable of RNA-guided RNA cleavage.
  • The study suggests that HrAgo1 retains ancient structural features, hinting at how Argonaute proteins might have evolved and diverged in the early stages of eukaryotic development.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

MicroRNA (miRNA) maturation is critically dependent on structural features of primary transcripts (pri-miRNAs). However, the scarcity of determined pri-miRNA structures has limited our understanding of miRNA maturation. Here, we employed selective 2'-hydroxyl acylation analyzed by primer extension and mutational profiling (SHAPE-MaP), a high-throughput RNA structure probing method, to unravel the secondary structures of 476 high-confidence human pri-miRNAs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Biomass-derived value-added materials such as levulinic acid (LA) are favorable natural resources for producing ester-based biolubricants owing to their biodegradability, nontoxicity, and excellent metal-adhering properties. However, highly active catalysts must be developed to carry out efficient esterification of LA with aliphatic alcohols, especially long-chain aliphatic alcohols. In this study, we developed a novel porous covalent organic polymer catalyst (BPOP-SOH) with dual acid sites, phosphate and sulfonic acid sites, for the esterification of LA.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To investigate the correlation between computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) parameters in 3-tesla (T) MRI and pathologic immunohistochemical (IHC) markers in invasive carcinoma of no special type (NST).

Materials And Methods: A total of 94 female who were diagnosed with NST carcinoma and underwent 3T MRI using CAD, from January 2018 to April 2019, were included. The relationship between angiovolume, curve peak, and early and late profiles of dynamic enhancement from CAD with pathologic IHC markers and molecular subtypes were retrospectively investigated using Dwass, Steel, Critchlow-Fligner multiple comparison analysis, and univariate binary logistic regression analysis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the posterior available space (PAS) in both dental arches of adult patients with varying skeletal patterns using cone-beam computed tomography.

Methods: A sample of 114 adult patients (56 males and 58 females) was divided into 3 groups according to ANB angle and facial height ratio. Using C-mode cone-beam computed tomography images from these patients, maxillary PAS (MxPAS) and mandibular PAS (MnPAS) were measured in the distobuccal and palatal roots of the maxillary second molars and the distal roots of the mandibular second molars, respectively.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We describe a protocol to conduct a high-throughput processing assay, using 1,881 human primary microRNAs (pri-miRNAs) and recombinant Microprocessor complex, followed by deep sequencing library generation. This comprehensive approach allows the mapping of cleavage sites and the measurement of processing efficiency of a large number of substrates simultaneously. Our protocol is readily modifiable to investigate the effects of chemicals and regulatory proteins.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Maturation of canonical microRNA (miRNA) is initiated by DROSHA that cleaves the primary transcript (pri-miRNA). More than 1,800 miRNA loci are annotated in humans, but it remains largely unknown whether and at which sites pri-miRNAs are cleaved by DROSHA. Here, we performed in vitro processing on a full set of human pri-miRNAs (miRBase version 21) followed by sequencing.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A 13-year-old growing female patient presented with hemimandibular hyperplasia of the right side, Class III hypodivergent skeletal pattern, and severe facial asymmetry. Corrective surgery was deferred until her growth had been completed. When the patient was 16 years old, a low condylectomy was performed on the hyperplastic side of her mandible to prevent its progressive condylar hyperplasia, while simultaneous orthodontic camouflage treatment was performed with the intrusion of the maxillary right posterior teeth using temporary skeletal anchorage devices without additional orthognathic surgery.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: There has been increasing attention on the subjective recovery of patients undergoing cancer surgery. Total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) and inhaled anesthesia with volatile anesthetics (INHA) are safe and common anesthetic techniques. Currently, TIVA and INHA have only been compared for less invasive and less complex surgeries.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The microprocessor complex cleaves the primary transcript of microRNA (pri-miRNA) to initiate miRNA maturation. Microprocessor is known to consist of RNase III DROSHA and dsRNA-binding DGCR8. Here, we identify Enhancer of Rudimentary Homolog (ERH) as a new component of Microprocessor.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Nuclear processing of most miRNAs is mediated by Microprocessor, comprised of RNase III enzyme Drosha and its cofactor DGCR8. Here, we uncover a hidden layer of Microprocessor regulation via studies of Dicer-independent mir-451, which is clustered with canonical mir-144. Although mir-451 is fully dependent on Drosha/DGCR8, its short stem and small terminal loop render it an intrinsically weak Microprocessor substrate.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To assess the added value of MRI over CT for the detection of pelvic recurrence during postoperative surveillance after rectal cancer surgery and to compare the diagnostic accuracy for pelvic recurrence achieved with abbreviated MRI (aMRI) with that of conventional enhanced MRI (cMRI).

Methods: Patients who underwent rectal cancer surgery followed by MRI in addition to the standard CT follow-up protocol were evaluated retrospectively. Two readers independently scored images from CT, cMRI, and aMRI, which consisted of T2-weighted and diffusion-weighted imaging, to rate the likelihood of recurrence.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a key role in regulating gene expression and are studied using small RNA sequencing (sRNA-seq), but traditional methods struggle with accurate quantification due to ligation bias.
  • The new AQ-seq protocol improves the measurement of miRNAs and their variants, correcting previous misannotations and revealing previously overlooked alternative processing events.
  • This study enhances the understanding of miRNA regulation and can improve other sequencing techniques, offering insights into the complex landscape of miRNA isoforms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Clear cell carcinoma (CCC) of the ovary shows distinct clinical characteristics depending on the stage. We aimed to investigate the imaging predictability for tumour stage in CCC.

Patients And Methods: Fifty-six tumours in 48 patients with pathologically proven CCC were enrolled.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Treatment of horizontally and deeply impacted mandibular molars is challenging for both orthodontists and oral surgeons because of the limited access and anchorage control. We report on two patients who had horizontally and mesially impacted mandibular second molars (MM2s). Both patients were treated by a surgical orthodontic approach, and the crowns of the impacted teeth were brought into the arches by closed forced eruption.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the bone density of mandibular condyles in adolescents with varying skeletal patterns using cone-beam computed tomography. The null hypothesis was that there is no difference in the bone density of mandibular condyles in adolescents across various facial height ratios, ANB angle classifications, sexes, and age categories.

Methods: We divided 120 adolescent patients, 56 boys and 64 girls, into 3 groups according to 3 criteria: (1) age (early, 10 to <14 years; middle, 14 to <17 years; late, 17 to <20 years); (2) facial height ratio or Jarabak quotient (hyperdivergent: facial height ratio, <62%; normovergent: facial height ratio, 62% to ≤65%; and hypodivergent: facial height ratio, >65%); and (3) ANB angle classification (Class I, 1° to ≤4°; Class II, (>4°); and Class III, <1°).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to determine which characteristics of breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI) uptake can indicate malignancy in women recently diagnosed with breast cancer.
  • Researchers analyzed data from 231 patients who underwent preoperative BSGI, classifying the imaging results based on features like shape and distribution.
  • Findings showed that irregular shapes and linear/ductal distributions were strong indicators of malignancy in BSGI results, while mammographic breast density did not correlate with BSGI features.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Microprocessor complex, consisting of an RNase III DROSHA and the DGCR8 dimer, cleaves primary microRNA transcripts (pri-miRNAs) to initiate microRNA (miRNA) maturation. Pri-miRNAs are stem-loop RNAs, and ∼79% of them contain at least one of the three major and conserved RNA motifs, UG, UGU, and CNNC. We recently demonstrated that the basal UG and apical UGU motifs of pri-miRNAs interact with DROSHA and DGCR8, respectively.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Various methods for radiation-dose calculation have been investigated over previous decades, focusing on the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) only. The bulk-density-assignment method based on manual segmentation has exhibited promising results compared to dose-calculation with computed tomography (CT). However, this method cannot be easily implemented in clinical practice due to its time-consuming nature.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aim: The purpose of the study was to investigate imaging predictors of Kirsten-ras (KRAS) mutations using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with rectal cancer.

Patients And Methods: A total of 275 patients with rectal cancer were enrolled. They underwent pretreatment rectal MRI, and then KRAS mutation evaluation following surgery.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate how the reference fat position influenced the calculation of the sonoelastographic strain ratio.

Methods: Three hundred fifty-eight breast masses (256 benign lesions and 102 malignant lesions) in 300 women (mean age 47.4 years; age range 17-82 years) who had been scheduled for a percutaneous needle biopsy or surgical excision were examined using B-mode ultrasonography and elastography.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) is widely known to have a neuroprotective effect, but its effects on function and morphology in mechanical nerve injury are not well understood. The aim of this study was to confirm the time course of the functional changes and morphological effects of G-CSF in a rat model of nerve crush injury. Twelve-eight rats were divided into three group: sham-operated control group, G-CSF-treated group, and saline treated group.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF