Advanced Interferometry with 3-D Structured Illumination Reveals the Surface Fine Structure of Complex Biospecimens.

Interference reflection microscopy (IRM) is a powerful, label-free technique to visualize the surface structure of biospecimens. However, stray light outside a focal plane obscures the surface fine structures beyond the diffraction limit ( ≈ 200 nm). Here, we developed an advanced interferometry approach to visualize the surface fine structure of complex biospecimens, ranging from protein assemblies to single cells.

Construction of a T7 phage random peptide library by combining seamless cloning with in vitro translation.

T7 phage libraries displaying random peptides are powerful tools for screening peptide sequences that bind to various target molecules. The T7 phage system has the advantage of less biased peptide distribution compared to the M13 phage system. However, the construction of T7 phage DNA is challenging due to its long 36 kb linear DNA.

Paternal involvement in infant care and developmental milestone outcomes at age 3 years: the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS).

Background: In developed countries, the time fathers spend on childcare has increased steadily in recent decades. However, studies on the relationship between paternal care and child outcomes remain scarce. Thus, we examined the association between paternal involvement in childcare and children's developmental outcomes.

Efficient derivation and banking of clinical-grade human embryonic stem cell lines in accordance with Japanese regulations.

Introduction: We recently established clinical-grade human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line KthES11 in accordance with current good manufacturing practice standards in Japan. Despite this success, the establishment efficiency was very low at 7.1% in the first period.

Low Surface Potential with Glycoconjugates Determines Insect Cell Adhesion at Room Temperature.

Cell-coupled field-effect transistor (FET) biosensors have attracted considerable attention because of their high sensitivity to biomolecules. The use of insect cells (Sf21) as a core sensor element is advantageous due to their stable adhesion to sensors at room temperature. Although visualization of the insect cell-substrate interface leads to logical amplification of signals, the spatiotemporal processes at the interfaces have not yet been elucidated.

Definitive Endoderm from EpiSC Aggregates in Matrigel.

This chapter describes the protocol to derive definitive endoderm cells from epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs) via a process analogous to gastrulation in embryos. The basis of this protocol mimicking the in vivo gastrulation process makes a contrast with those using sequential administration of pharmacological molecules and recombinant signaling proteins even at nonphysiological levels. In the experimental setup, EpiSCs are first freed from the dish-adherent condition to form free-floating aggregates, where endoderm precursor pools are produced.

Nap patterns of children in kindergartens and childcare transit facility: a study in northern Peninsular Malaysia.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the duration of sleep and nap patterns between children in private kindergartens and those in a -transit facility, in Malaysia.

Methods: The sleep duration of children aged 3-6, who attended either a kindergarten or a childcare transit facility (-transit in Malay) was investigated. Observational sleeping records were maintained for 24 hours, over 14 consecutive days.

Modeling early stages of endoderm development in epiblast stem cell aggregates with supply of extracellular matrices.

Endoderm precursors expressing FoxA2 and Sox17 develop from the epiblast through the gastrulation process. In this study, we developed an experimental system to model the endoderm-generating gastrulation process using epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs). To this end, we established an EpiSC line i22, in which enhanced green fluorescent protein is coexpressed with Foxa2.

Chiral Sensing Using Circularly Polarized Luminescence of Bis(phenanthroline dicarboxylic acid) Eu Complex Induced by Allosteric-type Interaction with Amino Acid Molecules.

[Eu(pda) ] and [Eu(bda) ] (pda=1,10-phenanthroline-2, 9-dicarboxylic acid; bda=2,2' bipyridine 5,5'-dicarboxylic acid) have an achiral D structure in crystals. These complexes exhibit circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) in water containing chiral amino acids. In this work, induced CPL of [Eu(pda) ] and [Eu(bda) ] in water solutions containing a mixture of d- and l- amino acids were examined.

Perinatal risk in singleton pregnancies after in vitro fertilization.

Objective: To assess perinatal risks to singleton births after in vitro fertilization (IVF) versus spontaneous conception.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Setting: A 2006 registry database of the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (JSOG) capturing 5.