The development of a flexion range-of-motion-adjustable knee joint for knee-ankle-foot orthoses and evaluation of gait in healthy individuals wearing it.

[Purpose] To develop a knee joint for knee-ankle-foot orthoses that is easy to operate and allows for four levels of knee-flexion-movement adjustment, and to determine the effects of different flexion ranges of motion on knee flexion angle during gait. [Participants and Methods] Participants were eight healthy adults. Knee joint for knee-ankle-foot orthoses were made for each participant, and the knee flexion angle during gait was measured for each of the four knee joint settings: fixed in extension, 15° flexion range, 30° flexion range, and free flexion.

Polyoxazoline-conjugated porcine serum albumin as an artificial plasma expander for dogs.

Veterinary medicine has made tremendous progress for domestic dogs, which are irreplaceable family members enriching human life. Nevertheless, no adequate supply system exists for their blood products. This study examined the synthesis, structure, safety, and efficacy of poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)-conjugated porcine serum albumin (POx-PSA) as an artificial plasma expander for dogs.

Core-Shell Structured Hemoglobin Nanoparticles as Artificial O Carriers.

This paper describes the synthesis and O binding properties of core-shell structured hemoglobin (Hb) nanoparticles (NPs), artificial O carriers of five types, as designed for use as red blood cell (RBC) substitutes. Human adult Hbs were polymerized using α-succinimidyl-ω-maleimide and dithiothreitol in spheroidal shapes to create parent particles. Subsequent covalent wrapping of the sphere with human serum albumin (HSA) yielded 100 nm-diameter Hb nanoparticles (HbNPs).

Hemoglobin-albumin clusters as an artificial O carrier: Physicochemical properties and resuscitation from hemorrhagic shock in rats.

A bovine hemoglobin (HbBv) or human adult hemoglobin (HbA) wrapped covalently by human serum albumins (HSAs), hemoglobin-albumin clusters (HbBv-HSA and HbA-HSA ), are artificial O carriers used as a red blood cell substitute. This article describes the physicochemical properties of the HbBv-HSA and HbA-HSA solutions, and their abilities to restore the systemic condition after resuscitation from hemorrhagic shock in anesthetized rats. The HbBv-HSA and HbA-HSA , which have high colloid osmotic activity, showed equivalent solution characteristics and O binding parameters.

Culturally Responsive Companion Program for a Japanese Woman with Dementia in a U.S. Nursing Home.

The older foreign-born population is predicted to increase in the United States. As a whole, this population in the long-term care setting is more likely to face greater challenges associated with loneliness and social isolation due to their smaller social networks, language and cultural differences. The benefits of person-centered care have been widely recognized and may be a potential remedy for such challenges felt by older immigrants.

Enhancer variants associated with Alzheimer's disease affect gene expression via chromatin looping.

Background: Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that may be genetic factors underlying Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, how these AD-associated SNPs (AD SNPs) contribute to the pathogenesis of this disease is poorly understood because most of them are located in non-coding regions, such as introns and intergenic regions. Previous studies reported that some disease-associated SNPs affect regulatory elements including enhancers.

Synthesis, antitumor activity, and cytotoxicity of 4-substituted 1-benzyl-5-diphenylstibano-1H-1,2,3-triazoles.

Trisubstituted 5-organostibano-1H-1,2,3-triazoles (3a-f) were synthesized by the Cu-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition of various ethynylstibanes (1) with benzylazide (2) in the presence of CuBr (5 mol%) under aerobic conditions. The reaction of 5-stibanotriazoles with HCl afforded C5-unsubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles (4a-f). The antitumor activity of trisubstituted 5-organostibano-1H-1,2,3-triazoles (3a-f) and their 5-unsubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles (4a-f) were evaluated in several tumor cell lines.

Next-generation technologies for multiomics approaches including interactome sequencing.

The development of high-speed analytical techniques such as next-generation sequencing and microarrays allows high-throughput analysis of biological information at a low cost. These techniques contribute to medical and bioscience advancements and provide new avenues for scientific research. Here, we outline a variety of new innovative techniques and discuss their use in omics research (e.

Identification of (L)-3-hydroxykynurenine O-sulfate in the buccal gland secretion of the parasitic lamprey, Lethenteron japonicum.

Parasitic lampreys are known to secrete proteins having anticoagulant and vasodilator activities from the buccal glands during feeding on their host's blood. However, small molecules in the secretion have never been explored in detail. We examined the secretion of Japanese liver lamprey (Lethenteron japonicum) for small molecules and found an intensely fluorescent substance upon gel filtration.

Multiple gamma-glutamylation: a novel type of post-translational modification in a diapausing Artemia cyst protein.

A highly hydrophilic, glutamate-rich protein was identified in the aqueous phenol extract from the cytosolic fraction of brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana) diapausing cysts and termed Artemia phenol soluble protein (PSP). Mass spectrometric analysis revealed the presence of many protein peaks around m/z 11,000, separated by 129 atomic mass units; this value corresponds to that of glutamate, which is strongly suggestive of heterogeneous polyglutamylation. Polyglutamylation has long been known as the functionally important post-translational modification of tubulins, which carry poly(L-glutamic acid) chains of heterogeneous length branching off from the main chain at the gamma-carboxy groups of a few specific glutamate residues.