Surveillance and genetic diversity of bovine viral diarrhea virus in dairy herds across Taiwan.

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) significantly impacts cattle worldwide, causing respiratory, gastrointestinal, and reproductive disorders that lead to substantial economic losses. Despite its high global prevalence and various genotypes, the infection status of BVDV in Taiwan has not been reported. This study conducted large-scale surveillance in 2014, analyzing 460 bovine serum samples collected from 49 dairy herds across Taiwan.

Association Between Gastrointestinal-Related Quality of Life and Frailty Using Baseline Data of the Prospective Cohort Study (JUSTICE-TOKYO Study).

To determine the prevalence of frailty and examine its association with gastrointestinal-related quality of life (QOL) among older outpatients in a geriatric hospital. This cross-sectional study involved 1042 outpatients (age: ≥65 years) diagnosed using the revised Japanese version of the cardiovascular health study criteria. Data collection was performed by a multidisciplinary team.

Intestinal organoids: The path towards clinical application.

Organoids have revolutionized the whole field of biology with their ability to model complex three-dimensional human organs in vitro. Intestinal organoids were especially consequential as the first successful long-term culture of intestinal stem cells, which raised hopes for translational medical applications. Despite significant contributions to basic research, challenges remain to develop intestinal organoids into clinical tools for diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy.

Assessing the performance of chest x-ray screening in detecting early-stage lung cancer in the general population.

Chest x-ray (CXR) is widely used for lung cancer screening in Japan. We evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of CXR in detecting early lung cancer and its histological types. We cross-referenced lung cancer municipality screening data with the regional cancer registry database.

Pyridoxal 5'-Phosphate (PLP)-Dependent β- and γ-Substitution Reactions Forming Nonproteinogenic Amino Acids in Natural Product Biosynthesis.

Living organisms synthesize various nonproteinogenic amino acids (NPAAs) as the building blocks of natural products. These NPAAs are often biosynthesized by pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzymes, which catalyze β- or γ- substitutions. These enzymes contribute to the structural diversification of NPAAs by installing new functional groups to amino acid side chains.

Controlled aggregative assembly to form self-organizing macroscopic human intestine from induced pluripotent stem cells.

Human intestinal organoids (HIOs) derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are promising resources for intestinal regenerative therapy as they recapitulate both endodermal and mesodermal components of the intestine. However, due to their hPSC-line-dependent mesenchymal development and spherical morphology, HIOs have limited applicability beyond basic research and development. Here, we demonstrate the incorporation of separately differentiated mesodermal and mid/hindgut cells into assembled spheroids to stabilize mesenchymal growth in HIOs.

Dysbiosis of gut microbiota in COVID-19 is associated with intestinal DNA phage dynamics of lysogenic and lytic infection.

This study compared intestinal DNA phage dynamics and gut microbiota changes observed at the onset of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The study participants included 19 healthy individuals and 19 patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. Significant differences were observed in the diversity of the intestinal DNA virome after the onset of COVID-19 compared with that in healthy individuals.

Efficacy of GPE strain live attenuated vaccine and CP7_E2alf strain recombinant live vaccine (marker vaccine) against Japanese epidemic classical swine fever virus isolated in 2019 and DIVA discrimination ability of the marker vaccine.

Classical swine fever (CSF) re-emerged in Japan in 2018, with the epidemic virus identified as genotype 2.1, which is moderately virulent and more difficult to detect and control than the highly virulent strain. Domestic pigs were administered with GPE strain live attenuated vaccine (GPE vaccine) for outbreak management.

Development of Dembo-PCR for cattle in accordance with Japanese livestock quarantine guidelines.

Detection of microorganisms from bovine using real-time PCR (Dembo-PCR) is a comprehensive detection technique that was developed to detect pathogens causing bovine diseases. In Japan, the definitive tests for monitored infectious diseases, which are defined by law, are carried out at government agencies. On the other hand, the existence of pathogens other than monitored infectious diseases are not well understood.

One-Pot Hybridization of Microfibrillated Cellulose and Hydroxyapatite as a Versatile Route to Eco-Friendly Mechanical Materials.

Hydroxyapatite was crystallized in an alkaline dispersion of mechanically fibrillated cellulose to prepare their composites with hydroxyapatite contents of 26-86 wt %. The composite powder was uniaxially pressed at 120 °C and 300 MPa to obtain the compacts. Three-point bending tests revealed that the bending strengths of the compacts were 40-100 MPa, and the elastic moduli were 4-9 GPa.

Traces of convergent evolution left in the structure of EgtB-IV.

The enzymatically regioselective catalyzed incorporation of cysteine sulfoxide into histidine generates physiologically important antioxidants such as ergothioneine and ovothiol. In this issue of Structure, Ireland et al. report the crystal structure of EgtB-IV, which provides insights into the convergent evolution of sulfoxide synthase.

Perioperative Management of a Patient With Idiopathic Pulmonary Hypertension and a History of Syncope: A Case Report.

Pulmonary hypertension is characterized by higher-than-normal pulmonary arterial pressures. This case report describes the perioperative management of a male patient with idiopathic pulmonary hypertension and a history of vasovagal syncope during previous dental extractions with local anesthesia. He underwent successful extraction of a single tooth with intravenous moderate sedation using dexmedetomidine and midazolam as well as prilocaine with felypressin for local anesthesia.

Recapitulating the adenoma-carcinoma sequence by selection of four spontaneous oncogenic mutations in mismatch-repair-deficient human colon organoids.

Carcinogenesis results from the sequential acquisition of oncogenic mutations that convert normal cells into invasive, metastasizing cancer cells. Colorectal cancer exemplifies this process through its well-described adenoma-carcinoma sequence, modeled previously using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) to induce four consecutive mutations in wild-type human gut organoids. Here, we demonstrate that long-term culture of mismatch-repair-deficient organoids allows the selection of spontaneous oncogenic mutations through the sequential withdrawal of Wnt agonists, epidermal growth factor (EGF) agonists and the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) antagonist Noggin, while TP53 mutations were selected through the addition of Nutlin-3.

Millimeter accuracy depth estimation in concrete using smartphone-equipped handheld GPR and hyperbolic curve fitting with antenna distance consideration.

In the management and maintenance of structural facilities, knowing the cover thickness of rebar and the depth of buried objects is of paramount importance. Currently, Smartphone-Equipped Handheld Ground Penetrating Radars (GPR) are primarily used for detecting rebar, yet the Electromagnetic Induction (EMI) method remains the sole available technique for determining the cover thickness of rebar. This necessitates the use of two separate devices to understand the subsurface condition of rebar.

Proximity-Unlocked Luminescence by Sequential Enzymatic Reactions from Antibody and Antibody/Aptamer (PULSERAA): A Platform for Detection and Visualization of Virus-Containing Spots.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has challenged more scientists to detect viruses and to visualize virus-containing spots for diagnosis and infection control; however, detection principles of commercially available technologies are not optimal for visualization. Here, a convenient and universal homogeneous detection platform named proximity-unlocked luminescence by sequential enzymatic reactions from antibody and antibody/aptamer (PULSERAA) is developed. This is designed so that the signal appears only when the donor and acceptor are in proximity on the viral surface.

Synthesis and Spectroscopic Properties of Diarylethene-Subporphyrinoid Hybrids.

Two novel diarylethene-fused subporphyrinoids were prepared and characterized. A mono diarylethene derivative was obtained via a statistical condensation reaction with 2 eq. of 1,2-dicyanobenzene and 1 eq.

Isolation and genetic characterization of novel bovine parechoviruses from Japanese black cattle.

Novel bovine parechoviruses (Bo ParVs) were isolated from the feces of Japanese black cattle. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the novel Bo ParVs formed an independent cluster, exhibiting 72.2-75.

The Intake of Dietary Lipids Improves Glucose Tolerance via Modulating Gut Microbiota.

The composition of gut microbiota is determined not only by genetic factors but also by environmental factors, such as diet, exercise, and disease conditions. Among these factors, diet is crucial in changing the gut microbial composition. Dietary lipids composed of different fatty acids not only alter host metabolism but also have a significant impact on the composition of gut microbiota.

First report of fesavirus 4 detection from cats in Japan.

Fesaviruses, picorna-like RNA viruses, were discovered in 2014 in feces from cats in an animal shelter in the United States but have not since been reported elsewhere. In this study, we collected cat fecal samples from 20 adult cats from an animal shelter in Tokyo, Japan, and examined them for viral pathogens. Next generation sequencing (NGS) was performed to detect both RNA and DNA virus sequences.