Discriminant analysis of occupational performance characteristics in patients with major depressive disorders and healthy individuals.

Aim: Assessing symptoms and daily functioning in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) can be challenging, as their limited self-monitoring abilities may result in behavior observed during structured interviews not accurately reflecting their daily lives. This study aimed to determine if specific occupational behaviors could distinguish individuals with MDD from healthy individuals.

Methods: Baseline data were collected from medical records and activity programs.

Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of suspected difficult-to-treat depression.

Introduction: Difficult-to-treat depression (DTD) represents a broad spectrum of patients with persistent depression where standard treatment modalities are insufficient, yet specific characteristics of this group remain insufficiently understood. This investigation aims to delineate the sociodemographic and clinical profiles of suspected DTD patients in real-world clinical settings.

Method: We conducted a retrospective analysis of data from patients comprehensively evaluated for suspected DTD at Kyorin University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan, between October 2014 and September 2018.

Preparation of Mucin Glycopeptides by Organic Synthesis.

Mucins are sugar-rich glycoproteins. Glycoprotein sugar moieties are structurally diverse, making it difficult to obtain naturally pure glycoproteins. Chemical synthesis is a powerful tool for obtaining target or designed compounds.

Study of 400 MHz microwave conduction loss effect for a hydrolysis reaction by thermostable β-Glucosidase HT1.

Microwave irradiation at different frequencies gave molecular selective effects, namely higher frequency microwave effects for waters while lower frequency effects for ions. We already reported that 2.45 GHz and 5.

Core fucose-specific Pholiota squarrosa lectin (PhoSL) as a potent broad-spectrum inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein (S protein) is highly N-glycosylated, and a "glycan shield" is formed to limit the access of other molecules; however, a small open area coincides with the interface to the host's receptor and also neutralising antibodies. Most of the variants of concern have mutations in this area, which could reduce the efficacy of existing antibodies. In contrast, N-glycosylation sites are relatively invariant, and some are essential for infection.

O-glycosylated HBsAg peptide can induce specific antibody neutralizing HBV infection.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV), which causes hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma, is a global human health problem. HBV contains three envelope proteins, S-, M-, and L-hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). We recently found that O-glycosylated M-HBsAg, reactive with jacalin lectin, is one of the primary components of HBV DNA-containing virus particles.

Factors Associated With Time to Achieve Employment Through Occupational Support Programs in Patients With Mood Disorders: 1 Year Naturalistic Study.

Mood disorders cause significant work performance disability in sufferers and often lead to adverse employment outcomes in working individuals. The aim of this study was to explore factors associated with time to achieve employment through the occupational support program (OSP) for patients with mood disorders. The participants were patients admitted to the Kyorin university hospital from April 2016 to April 2019.

Age-Related Differences in Strategy in the Hand Mental Rotation Task.

Mental imagery of movement is a potentially valuable rehabilitation task, but its therapeutic efficacy may depend on the specific cognitive strategy employed. Individuals use two main strategies to perform the hand mental rotation task (HMRT), which involves determining whether a visual image depicts a left or right hand. One is the motor imagery (MI) strategy, which involves mentally simulating one's own hand movements.

A new strategy for the chemoenzymatic synthesis of glycopeptides by De-O-acetylation with an esterase and glycosylations with glycosyltransferases.

Glycopeptides are fragments of glycoproteins and are important in evaluating the biological roles of carbohydrates in glycoproteins. Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis using acetyl-protected glycosylated amino acids is a common strategy for the preparation of glycopeptides, but this approach normally requires chemical de-O-acetylation with a base that β-eliminates sugar residues and epimerizes the peptide backbone. Here we demonstrate a facile new chemoenzymatic synthetic strategy for glycopeptides, using an esterase for the de-O-acetylation of sugar residues and glycosyltransferases for successive sugar elongations at neutral pH.

Microwave-Assisted Heating Reactions of -Acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) in Sulfolane as a Method Generating 1,6-Anhydrosugars Consisting of Amino Monosaccharide Backbones.

The microwave-assisted heating reaction of -acetyl glucosamine (GlcNAc) in sulfolane is described. The reaction produces two major products that are assignable to 1,6-anhydro-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-d-glucopyranose (AGPNAc) and 1,6-anhydro-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-d-glucofuranose (AGFNAc). In order to reveal a general feature of the system, the 3, 5, and 10 min reactions were performed at 140, 160, 180, 200, and 220 °C to clarify the time course changes in the conversion of GlcNAc and the yields of the two produced 1,6-anhydrosugars.

Products of Chemoenzymatic Synthesis Representing MUC1 Tandem Repeat Unit with T-, ST- or STn-antigen Revealed Distinct Specificities of Anti-MUC1 Antibodies.

Anti-mucin1 (MUC1) antibodies have long been used clinically in cancer diagnosis and therapy and specific bindings of some of them are known to be dependent on the differential glycosylation of MUC1. However, a systematic comparison of the binding specificities of anti-MUC1 antibodies was not previously conducted. Here, a total of 20 glycopeptides including the tandem repeat unit of MUC1, APPAHGVTSAPDTRPAPGSTAPPAHGV with GalNAc (Tn-antigen), Galβ1-3GalNAc (T-antigen), NeuAcα2-3Galβ1-3GalNAc (sialyl-T-antigen), or NeuAcα2-6GalNAc (sialyl-Tn-antigen) at each threonine or serine residue were prepared by a combination of chemical glycopeptide synthesis and enzymatic extension of carbohydrate chains.

Variation in Performance Strategies of a Hand Mental Rotation Task on Elderly.

A hand mental rotation task (HMRT) is a task wherein a person judges whether an image of a rotated hand is of the right or left hand. Two performance strategies are expected to come into play when performing these tasks: a visual imagery (VI) strategy, in which an image is mentally rotated, and a motor imagery (MI) strategy, in which the movement of a person's own hand is simulated. Although elderly people generally take some time to perform these tasks, ability differs greatly between individuals.

Response time differences between men and women during hand mental rotation.

This study explored gender differences in correct response rates and response times on a task involving left or right arrow selection and another involving the transformation of mental rotation of the hand. We recruited 15 healthy, right-handed men (age 24.5 ± 6.

Collagenolytic matrix metalloproteinases antagonize proteinase-activated receptor-2 activation, providing insights into extracellular matrix turnover.

The collagenase subfamily of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have important roles in the remodeling of collagenous matrices. The proteinase-activated receptor (PAR) family has a unique mechanism of activation requiring proteolysis of an extracellular domain forming a neo-N terminus that acts as a tethered ligand, a process that has been associated with the development of arthritis. Canonical PAR2 activation typically occurs via a serine proteinase at Arg-Ser, but other proteinases can cleave PARs downstream of the tethered ligand and "disarm" the receptor.

Structural basis for specific recognition of core fucosylation in N-glycans by Pholiota squarrosa lectin (PhoSL).

Fucosylation of the N-glycan core via the α1-6 linkage (core fucosylation) is detected in specific types of cancers and related diseases, and thereby serves for a relevant biomarker. The lectin from a mushroom Pholiota squarrosa (PhoSL) shows a clear specificity to core fucosylation, without recognizing those with other types of fucosylation, such as the H type via the α1-2 linkage or the Lewis type via the α1-3 or α1-4 linkage. Here we determined the crystal structure of the PhoSL trimer in complex with a disaccharide fucose(α1-6)N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc).

Efficiency of 2.45 and 5.80 GHz microwave irradiation for a hydrolysis reaction by thermostable β-Glucosidase HT1.

Microwave irradiation at different frequencies gave unique results for the hydrolyses of glycosyl bonds by β-Glucosidase HT1. With the observed relative complex permittivity data for the reaction buffer, 2.45 GHz microwave radiation affected both waters and ions, while 5.

p62/SQSTM1 plays a protective role in oxidative injury of steatotic liver in a mouse hepatectomy model.

Aims: Liver injury and regeneration involve complicated processes and are affected by various physio-pathological factors. We investigated the mechanisms of steatosis-associated liver injury and delayed regeneration in a mouse model of partial hepatectomy.

Results: Initial regeneration of the steatotic liver was significantly delayed after hepatectomy.

Efficiency of organic solvents on the ability of α2,3-sialyltransferase from Photobacterium sp. JT-ISH-224 to control a hydrolysis side reaction.

Enzymatic synthesis of oligosaccharides using specific sialyltransferases enables single-step glycosylation with high positional and anomeric structural selectivity. The α2,3-sialyltransferase cloned from the marine bacterium Photobacterium sp. JT-ISH-224 has unique and broad acceptor specificity, but this enzyme possesses not only sialyltransferase activity but also sialidase activity.

Carcinosarcoma of the liver.

Herein we present a 73-year-old man with primary carcinosarcoma of the liver, a rare malignant tumor of the liver. The case was followed up due to HBV-related liver cirrhosis. Regular check-up by ultrasound demonstrated a hyperechoic tumor in the left lobe of the liver, and he was referred and admitted to our hospital.

Artificial Golgi apparatus: globular protein-like dendrimer facilitates fully automated enzymatic glycan synthesis.

Despite the growing importance of synthetic glycans as tools for biological studies and drug discovery, a lack of common methods for the routine synthesis remains a major obstacle. We have developed a new method for automated glycan synthesis that employs the enzymatic approach and a dendrimer as an ideal support within the chemical process. Recovery tests using a hollow fiber ultrafiltration module have revealed that monodisperse G6 (MW = 58 kDa) and G7 (MW = 116 kDa) poly(amidoamine) dendrimers exhibit a similar profile to BSA (MW = 66 kDa).

Adsorptive properties of albumin, fibrinogen, and gamma-globulin on fluorinated diamond-like carbon films coated on PTFE.

Fluorinated diamond-like carbon (F-DLC) films were deposited on polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) using radio frequency (RF) plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (CVD) by changing the ratio of tetrafluoromethane (CF(4)) and methane (CH(4)). To enhance the adhesion strength of the F-DLC film to the PTFE substrate, the PTFE surface was modified with a N(2) plasma pre-treatment. XPS analysis of the films showed that the C-C bond decreased with increases in the CF(4) ratio, whereas the C-F bond increased with the CF(4) ratio.

Hepatic steatosis as a possible risk factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma after eradication of hepatitis C virus with antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Aim: To elucidate risk factors contributing to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) among patients with sustained viral response (SVR) after interferon (IFN) treatment and to examine whether HCV-RNA still remained in the liver of SVR patients who developed HCC.

Methods: Two-hundred and sixty-six patients, who achieved SVR, were enrolled in this study. We retrospectively reviewed clinical, viral and histological features of the patients, and examined whether the development of HCC depends on several clinical variables using Kaplan-Meier Method.

Proposal of a new and simple staging system of colorectal liver metastasis.

Aim: To create a new, simple and useful staging system for colorectal liver metastasis analogous to the Tumor Node Metastasis classification system of International Union Against Cancer.

Methods: A retrospective review was undertaken of 81 consecutive patients who underwent partial hepatectomy for colorectal liver metastases (group 1). Clinical and pathological features of both primary and metastatic liver cancers were entered into a multivariate analysis to determine independent variables helpful in accurately predicting long-term prognosis after hepatectomy.