ATR inhibition promotes synergistic antitumor effect in platinum-resistant pancreatic cancer.

Background: Oxaliplatin is a commonly used platinum-based chemotherapy drug for patients with pancreatic cancer (PC). Drug resistance is a major challenge in PC treatment, underscoring the urgent need for new approaches. Targeting DNA damage repair, one of the factors responsible for platinum resistance, is an attractive strategy to overcome drug resistance.

RNA sequencing of Beauveria bassiana JEF-350-infected Thrips palmi reveals change of host defense and homeostasis.

Melon thrips, Thrips palmi, represent a significant threat to plants, inducing necrosis and acting as vectors for numerous plant viruses. Entomopathogenic fungi present a promising avenue for the management of melon thrips populations resistant to conventional chemical treatments. In this work, an adult colony of melon thrips was exposed to Beauveria bassiana strain JEF-350, and the ensuing transcriptional response of the infected thrips was scrutinized to elucidate their reactions during fungal pathogenesis.

Enhancing Intrapleural Hyperthermic Chemotherapy for Lung Cancer: Insights from 3D and PDX Models.

: Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) in lung cancer indicates systemically disseminated advanced lung cancer and is associated with poor survival. Intrapleural hyperthermic chemotherapy (IPHC) is a promising treatment for MPE; however, its biological basis is not fully understood. IPHC can enhance anticancer drug efficacy, particularly in drug-resistant cancers.

Clinical characteristics and long-term disease course in patients with Crohn's disease as diagnosed by video capsule endoscopy: a multicenter retrospective matched case-control study.

Background/aims: Video capsule endoscopy is rarely used to diagnose Crohn's disease in patients with negative ileocolonoscopy or cross-sectional image findings. We evaluated clinical characteristics and long-term outcomes of these rare cases.

Methods: This multicenter study included patients with Crohn's disease from 3 tertiary hospitals from January 2007 to October 2022.

HIGH PLOIDY2-mediated SUMOylation of transcription factor ARR1 controls two-component signaling in Arabidopsis.

Cytokinins regulate plant growth, development, and responses to environmental stresses such as cold via phosphorelay from cytokinin receptors to the ARABIDOPSIS RESPONSE REGULATORs (ARRs). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the activation of type-B ARR transcriptional activity in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) remain unclear. Here, we show that the E3 SUMO ligase HIGH PLOIDY2 SUMOylates ARR1, a type-B ARR, at K236, triggering its activation.

New Function Annotation of PROSER2 in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has a dismal prognosis due to the absence of diagnostic markers and molecular targets. Here, we took an unconventional approach to identify new molecular targets for pancreatic cancer. We chose uncharacterized protein evidence level 1 without function annotation from extensive proteomic research on pancreatic cancer and focused on proline and serine-rich 2 (PROSER2), which ranked high in the cell membrane and cytoplasm.

Preparation of Well-Defined Double-Metal Cyanide Catalysts for Propylene Oxide Polymerization and CO Copolymerization.

Reevaluating the composition of the double metal cyanide catalyst (DMC) as a salt of (NC)Co anions with 1:1 Zn/(X)Zn cations (X = Cl, RO, AcO), we prepared a series of well-defined DMCs, [ClZn][Zn][(NC)Co][ROH], [(RO)Zn][Zn][(NC)Co], [(AcO)Zn][Zn][(NC)Co], [(RO)Zn][ClZn][Zn][(NC)Co], [(AcO)Zn][(tBuO)Zn][Zn][(NC)Co], and [(AcO)Zn][(tBuO)Zn][ClZn][Zn][(NC)Co]. The structure of [(MeOCHO)Zn][Zn][(NC)Co] was precisely determined at the atomic level through Rietveld refinement of the synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data. By evaluating the catalyst's performance in both propylene oxide (PO) polymerization and PO/CO copolymerization, a correlation between structure and performance was established on various aspects including activity, dispersity, unsaturation level, and carbonate fraction in the resulting polyols.

Val43 residue of NsrR is crucial for the nitric oxide response of Typhimurium.

Abstract: In pathogenic bacteria, the flavohemoglobin Hmp is crucial in metabolizing the cytotoxic levels of nitric oxide (NO) produced in phagocytic cells, contributing to bacterial virulence. Hmp expression is predominantly regulated by the Rrf2 family transcription repressor NsrR in an NO-dependent manner; however, the underlying molecular mechanism in enterobacteria remains poorly understood. In this study, we identified Val43 of Typhimurium NsrR (StNsrR) as a critical amino acid residue for regulating Hmp expression.

Dual outflow upper arm arteriovenous fistula: An effective technique to prevent cephalic arch stenosis.

Cephalic arch stenosis (CAS) is critical point to maintain functional arteriovenous fistula (AVF) in patients undergoing hemodialysis with brachio-cephalic AVFs. In this study, we aimed to determine the effectiveness of dual outflow (cephalic and basilic veins) as a surgical method to prevent CAS. Between July 2016 and December 2019, 369 patients underwent upper arm AVF creation.

Correction to: Effect of red and black ginseng on cholinergic markers, presynaptic markers, and neurotrophins in the brain of aged mice.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s10068-017-0235-7.].

Estimation of right lobe graft weight for living donor liver transplantation using deep learning-based fully automatic computed tomographic volumetry.

This study aimed at developing a fully automatic technique for right lobe graft weight estimation using deep learning algorithms. The proposed method consists of segmentation of the full liver region from computed tomography (CT) images, classification of the entire liver region into the right and left lobes, and estimation of the right lobe graft weight from the CT-measured right lobe graft volume using a volume-to-weight conversion formula. The first two steps were performed with a transformer-based deep learning model.

Establishment of Patient-Derived Organoids Using Ascitic or Pleural Fluid from Cancer Patients.

Purpose: Patient-derived tumor cells can be a powerful resource for studying pathophysiological mechanisms and developing robust strategies for precision medicine. However, establishing organoids from patient-derived cells is challenging because of limited access to tissue specimens. Therefore, we aimed to establish organoids from malignant ascites and pleural effusions.

Detection of viral genes in Metarhizium anisopliae JEF-290-infected longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis using transcriptome analysis.

Ticks are carriers of viruses that can cause disease in humans and animals. The longhorned ticks (Haemaphysalis longicornis; LHT), for example, mediates the severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) in humans, and the population of ticks is growing due to increases in temperature caused by climate change. As ticks carry primarily RNA viruses, there is a need to study the possibility of detecting new viruses through tick virome analysis.

Complexation of drug and hapten-conjugated aptamer with universal hapten antibody for pancreatic cancer treatment.

Owing to a lack of reliable markers and therapeutic targets, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains the most lethal malignant tumor despite numerous therapeutic advances. In this study, we utilized cell-SELEX to isolate a DNA aptamer recognizing the natural conformation of the target on the cell surface. PAp7T8, an aptamer optimized by size and chemical modification, exhibited specific targeting to pancreatic cancer cells and orthotopic xenograft pancreatic tumors.

Refining Classification of Cholangiocarcinoma Subtypes via Proteogenomic Integration Reveals New Therapeutic Prospects.

Background & Aims: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas (iCCs) are characterized by their rarity, difficult diagnosis, and overall poor prognosis. The iCC molecular classification for developing precision medicine strategies was investigated.

Methods: Comprehensive genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and phosphoproteomic analyses were performed on treatment-naïve tumor samples from 102 patients with iCC who underwent surgical resection with curative intent.

Anti-obesity effects of agar (Gelidium amansii)-derived oligosaccharides in high-fat diet-treated C57BL/6N mice due to differential regulations of lipogenesis and lipolysis.

To investigate the effects of agar oligosaccharides (AO) on lipid metabolism, changes in obesity phenotypes and related molecular factors were evaluated in C57BL/6N mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). When HFD-induced obese mice were fed AO, they lost weight. Also, fat accumulation in abdominal and liver tissues was lower in the AO groups than in the Vehicle group.

Management of overwintering pine sawyer beetle, Monochamus alternatus with colonized Beauveria bassiana ERL836.

Monochamus alternatus is a major forest pest that spreads pine wilt disease in pine trees as a vector of pine wilt nematodes. Chemical insecticides used as fumigants to control overwintering M. alternatus in forests are highly toxic to the environment, so we investigated entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana ERL836 as an eco-friendly and alternative material to control overwintering M.

[ Infection in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease].

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), comprising Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, is a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract, which is often accompanied by altered gut microbial composition. Gut dysbiosis in IBD is considered to be the reason for the high risk of infection (CDI) in patients with IBD. Therefore, CDI should be evaluated in IBD patients with a symptom flare.

A new formula for estimation of standard liver volume using liver height and thoracic width.

Purpose: Precise estimation of the standard liver volume (SLV) is crucial in decision making regarding major hepatectomy and living donor liver transplantation. This study aimed to propose an accurate and efficient formula for estimating the SLV in the Korean population.

Methods: We created a regression model for SLV estimation using a data set of 230 Korean patients with healthy livers.

Establishment of Patient-derived Preclinical Models for Invasive Papillary Cholangiocarcinoma.

Background/aim: Invasive papillary cholangio-carcinoma (IPC) is a minor subtype of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. However, its etiology and characteristics remain unknown because of the unavailability of in vitro and in vivo models. We aimed to establish a novel preclinical model for translational research of IPC.

Peripheral neuropathy after extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation therapy in children: A case report.

Rationale: In recent years, the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment for pediatric patients with cardiorespiratory failure has increased, with emphasis being given to the prevention of complications in ECMO-treated patients. Several studies have reported ECMO-related central nervous system complications, such as intracranial hemorrhage, cerebral infarction, and seizure. However, few cases of peripheral nerve injury have been reported in ECMO-treated adults; there have also been no reported cases of peripheral nerve injury in the pediatric population.