Revealing an origin of temperature-dependent structural change in intrinsically disordered protein.

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) show structural changes stimulated by changes in external conditions. This study aims to reveal the temperature dependence of the structure and dynamics of the intrinsically disordered region of Hef, one of the typical IDPs, using an integrative approach. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and circular dichroism (CD) studies revealed that the radius of gyration and ellipticity at 222 nm remained constant up to 313-323 K, followed by a decline above this temperature range.

[A Case Report of Rectal MiNEN Laparoscopic Resection].

A 74-year-old woman underwent colonoscopy for positive fecal occult blood test. A colonoscopy revealed a Type 1 tumor in the rectosigmoid region. The tumor was diagnosed as well-differentiated adenocarcinoma(tub1)by biopsy.

Accuracy of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Teicoplanin at the Onset of Febrile Neutropenia.

: Teicoplanin (TEIC) is an effective drug for patients with febrile neutropenia (FN); however, it has been reported that these patients may have increased TEIC clearance compared with patients who do not have FN. The purpose of this study was to study therapeutic drug monitoring in patients with FN when the TEIC dosing design was based on the population mean method. : Thirty-nine FN patients with hematological malignancy were included in the study.

Survey of psychiatric symptoms among inpatients with COVID-19 using the Diagnosis Procedure Combination data and medical records in Japan.

Physical symptoms such as fatigue and muscle weakness, and psychiatric symptoms like depression and anxiety are considered as complications and sequelae of COVID-19. This epidemiological study investigated the actual status of psychiatric symptoms and disorders caused by COVID-19, from four major university hospitals and five general hospitals in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, having a population of 5 million. We conducted a survey of psychiatric disorders associated with COVID-19 using Diagnosis Procedure Combination (DPC) data and the psychiatric records of the hospitals.

Immune response and protective efficacy of the SARS-CoV-2 recombinant spike protein vaccine S-268019-b in mice.

Vaccines that efficiently target severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiological agent for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), are the best means for controlling viral spread. This study evaluated the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine S-268019-b, which comprises the recombinant full-length SARS-CoV-2 spike protein S-910823 (antigen) and A-910823 (adjuvant). In addition to eliciting both Th1-type and Th2-type cellular immune responses, two doses of S-910823 plus A-910823 induced anti-spike protein IgG antibodies and neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.

Development of dual-functional catalysis for hydrazine oxidation by an organic p-n bilayer through formation of a silver co-catalyst.

Dual-functional catalysis indicates that an organic p-n bilayer induces the catalytic oxidation involved in downhill reactions, not only under illumination but also in the dark. When the organo-bilayer is composed of a perylene derivative (3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic-bis-benzimidazole (PTCBI), n-type) and cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc, p-type), only the photocatalytic oxidation of hydrazine (NH) occurs. However, the loading of Ag co-catalyst onto the CoPc surface in the PTCBI/CoPc bilayer successfully led to dual catalysis in terms of the oxidation of NH to N.

The Changes in Concentration of Cerebral Oxygenated Hemoglobin During Single Event-Related Japanese Shiritori Task in Patients With Major Depression Disorder: Comparison With Healthy Subjects.

Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) have been reported to show cognitive impairments in attention, cognition control, and motivation. The purpose of this study is to compare and examine the characteristics of frontal and temporal cortical activity in outpatients with MDD during the word production task (Shiritori) using a single event-related Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) measurement method that was originally devised. The subjects were 29 MDD patients and 29 age matched healthy controls.

Early Elevation of Cell-Free DNA After Acute Mesenteric Ischemia in Rats.

Background: Acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) is challenging to diagnose in the early phase. We tested the hypothesis that blood levels of cell-free DNA would increase early after AMI. In addition, proteome analysis was conducted as an exploratory analysis to identify other potential diagnostic biomarkers.

C9orf72-derived arginine-rich poly-dipeptides impede phase modifiers.

Nuclear import receptors (NIRs) not only transport RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) but also modify phase transitions of RBPs by recognizing nuclear localization signals (NLSs). Toxic arginine-rich poly-dipeptides from C9orf72 interact with NIRs and cause nucleocytoplasmic transport deficit. However, the molecular basis for the toxicity of arginine-rich poly-dipeptides toward NIRs function as phase modifiers of RBPs remains unidentified.

[A Case of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lung from Gastrointestinal Perforation Due to Small Intestinal Metastasis].

An 80s male, with a medical history of hypertension, hyperuricemia, and atrial fibrillation, visited our emergency outpatient department with vomiting and diarrhea as the chief complaint in August 2017. The blood examination revealed a high level of inflammatory reaction. The plain abdominal CT revealed fluid retention contacting the small intestine and intraabdominal free gas.

Dynamics of proteins with different molecular structures under solution condition.

Incoherent quasielastic neutron scattering (iQENS) is a fascinating technique for investigating the internal dynamics of protein. However, low flux of neutron beam, low signal to noise ratio of QENS spectrometers and unavailability of well-established analyzing method have been obstacles for studying internal dynamics under physiological condition (in solution). The recent progress of neutron source and spectrometer provide the fine iQENS profile with high statistics and as well the progress of computational technique enable us to quantitatively reveal the internal dynamic from the obtained iQENS profile.

Structure of the HLTF HIRAN domain and its functional implications in regression of a stalled replication fork.

HLTF (helicase-like transcription factor) is a yeast RAD5 homolog that is found in mammals. HLTF has E3 ubiquitin ligase and DNA helicase activities, and is a pivotal protein in template-switched DNA synthesis that allows DNA replication to continue even in the presence of DNA damage by utilizing a newly synthesized undamaged strand as a template. In addition, HLTF has a DNA-binding domain termed HIRAN (HIP116 and RAD5 N-terminal).

Continuous nitrogen fertilization retards the vertical migration of Fukushima nuclear accident-derived cesium-137 in apple orchard soil.

We monitored the levels of cesium-137 (Cs) in the soils of five orchards for six years following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident on 11 March 2011 and found that the vertical distribution of accident-derived Cs varied significantly among the orchards with varying land-use and fertilizer management. Based on these results, this study evaluated how nitrogen (N) fertilizer management may have affected the vertical migration of Cs in the orchard soils. We selected an experimental orchard producing 'Jonathan' apples, where a long-term N-fertilizer trial has continued since 1973, with an N-fertilized plot (N plot; N added at 20 g m y) and a non-fertilized plot (0 N plot).

[Two Cases of Laparoscopic Partial Resection of Stomach Using a Trans-Gastric Wall Approach for Submucosal Tumors].

We performed laparoscopic partial resection of the stomach with a trans-gastric wall approach for submucosal tumors. Case 1: A 67-year-old woman was referred to our hospital because of tarry stool. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a well demarcated, round, 45mm intraluminal-type submucosal tumor with delle on the anterior wall of the gastric upper body.

Development of flash cards to teach about lesions in the jaws and maxillary sinuses.

Objective: We sought to evaluate a set of flash cards to teach about lesions of the jaws and maxillary sinuses.

Methods: We placed illustrations of 30 diseases of the jaws and maxillary sinuses on the front of the cards (7 cm × 5 cm). On the backs of the cards, a description of the radiological findings and the corresponding QR code for each disease were printed.

Structure of HIRAN domain of human HLTF bound to duplex DNA provides structural basis for DNA unwinding to initiate replication fork regression.

Replication fork regression is a mechanism to rescue a stalled fork by various replication stresses, such as DNA lesions. Helicase-like transcription factor, a SNF2 translocase, plays a central role in the fork regression and its N-terminal domain, HIRAN (HIP116 and Rad5 N-terminal), binds the 3'-hydroxy group of single-stranded DNA. Furthermore, HIRAN is supposed to bind double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and involved in strand separation in the fork regression, whereas structural basis for mechanisms underlying dsDNA binding and strand separation by HIRAN are still unclear.

Calcium sensing via EF-hand 4 enables thioredoxin activity in the sensor-responder protein calredoxin in the green alga .

Calcium (Ca) and redox signaling enable cells to quickly adapt to changing environments. The signaling protein calredoxin (CRX) from the green alga is a chloroplast-resident thioredoxin having Ca-dependent activity and harboring a unique combination of an EF-hand domain connected to a typical thioredoxin-fold. Using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), FRET, and NMR techniques, we found that Ca-binding not only induces a conformational change in the EF-hand domain, but also in the thioredoxin domain, translating into the onset of thioredoxin redox activity.

The use of a fertile doubled haploid apple line for QTL analysis of fruit traits.

Apple is an economically important crop, and various approaches to genetic analysis in breeding programs have been attempted, including the production of doubled haploid (DH) lines, which are genetically homozygous. In this study, we used a DH line for QTL analyses, for the first time in a fruit tree, expecting it to simplify the analysis of the inheritance of quantitative traits and thus to enhance QTL detection power. Using an F population from 'Prima' × 'Apple Chukanbohon 95P6' (DH), we constructed a genetic map of 'Prima', and identified 19 QTLs for 13 traits.

Physical therapy intervention with a low frequency of exercise for a patient with a complicated form of hereditary spastic paraplegia: a case report.

[Purpose] Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive spasticity and weakness of the lower limbs. To date, the appropriate frequency and intensity of physical therapy for patients with HSP are not well-known. We created an original rehabilitation program for a patient with a complicated form of HSP, wherein the program required low-frequency involvement to adapt to the long-term insurance system in Japan.