Structural basis for catalysis and selectivity of phospholipid synthesis by eukaryotic choline-phosphotransferase.

Phospholipids are the most abundant component in lipid membranes and are essential for the structural and functional integrity of the cell. In eukaryotic cells, phospholipids are primarily synthesized de novo through the Kennedy pathway that involves multiple enzymatic processes. The terminal reaction is mediated by a group of cytidine-5'-diphosphate (CDP)-choline /CDP-ethanolamine-phosphotransferases (CPT/EPT) that use 1,2-diacylglycerol (DAG) and CDP-choline or CDP-ethanolamine to produce phosphatidylcholine (PC) or phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) that are the main phospholipids in eukaryotic cells.

Functional anatomy of zinc finger antiviral protein complexes.

ZAP is an antiviral protein that binds to and depletes viral RNA, which is often distinguished from vertebrate host RNA by its elevated CpG content. Two ZAP cofactors, TRIM25 and KHNYN, have activities that are poorly understood. Here, we show that functional interactions between ZAP, TRIM25 and KHNYN involve multiple domains of each protein, and that the ability of TRIM25 to multimerize via its RING domain augments ZAP activity and specificity.

A minimal complex of KHNYN and zinc-finger antiviral protein binds and degrades single-stranded RNA.

Detecting viral infection is a key role of the innate immune system. The genomes of some RNA viruses have a high CpG dinucleotide content relative to most vertebrate cell RNAs, making CpGs a molecular marker of infection. The human zinc-finger antiviral protein (ZAP) recognizes CpG, mediates clearance of the foreign CpG-rich RNA, and causes attenuation of CpG-rich RNA viruses.

[A case of propriospinal myoclonus at sleep onset in which video-polysomnography with additional surface electromyogram was useful for diagnosis].

Propriospinal myoclonus at sleep onset (PSM-S) is a sudden myoclonic jerk that occurs during the transition from wakefulness to sleep. It is a sleep-related movement disorder that causes difficulty falling asleep due to involuntary movements that spread caudally and rostrally through the propriospinal tract. Diagnosis requires observation of movements and polysomnography (PSG), and there are few reports.

Inflammatory Burden Index as a promising new marker for predicting surgical and oncological outcomes in colorectal cancer.

Aims: The prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) has been historically reliant on the Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM) staging system, but there is variability in outcomes among patients at similar stages. Therefore, there is an urgent need for more robust biomarkers. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical feasibility of the recently reported Inflammatory Burden Index (IBI) for predicting short- and long-term outcomes in patients with CRC.

Iron limitation induces motility in uropathogenic CFT073 partially through action of LpdA.

Unlabelled: More than half of women will experience a urinary tract infection (UTI) with most cases caused by uropathogenic (UPEC). Bacterial swimming motility enhances UPEC pathogenicity, resulting in more severe disease outcomes including kidney infection. Surprisingly, the connection between motility and iron limitation is mostly unexplored despite the lack of free iron available in the host.

Clinical feasibility of the preoperative C-reactive protein-albumin-lymphocyte index to predict short- and long-term outcomes of patients with gastric cancer.

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is a major leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Systemic inflammation and the nutrition-based score are feasible prognostic markers for malignancies. Emerging evidence has also revealed the C-reactive protein-albumin-lymphocyte (CALLY) index to be a prognostic marker for several cancer types.

Prediction of Post-Gastrectomy Pancreatic Complications: A Preoperative Imaging Study Based on Computed Tomography.

Background: Postoperative pancreas-related complications (PPRCs) are common after laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) in patients with gastric cancer. We estimated the anatomical location of the pancreas on a computed tomography (CT) image and investigated its impact on the incidence of PPRCs after LG.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the preoperative CT images of 203 patients who underwent LG for gastric cancer between January 2010 and December 2017.

A mechanistic model of primer synthesis from catalytic structures of DNA polymerase α-primase.

The mechanism by which polymerase α-primase (polα-primase) synthesizes chimeric RNA-DNA primers of defined length and composition, necessary for replication fidelity and genome stability, is unknown. Here, we report cryo-EM structures of Xenopus laevis polα-primase in complex with primed templates representing various stages of DNA synthesis. Our data show how interaction of the primase regulatory subunit with the primer 5' end facilitates handoff of the primer to polα and increases polα processivity, thereby regulating both RNA and DNA composition.

Clinical implications of C-reactive protein-albumin-lymphocyte (CALLY) index in patients with esophageal cancer.

Purpose: The C-reactive protein-albumin-lymphocyte (CALLY) index is a novel inflammatory nutritional biomarker. This study aimed to investigate the potential clinical significance and oncological prognostic role of the preoperative CALLY index in patients with esophageal cancer.

Methods: We analyzed the preoperative CALLY index in 146 patients with esophageal cancer.

Structural Analysis of Membrane-associated Forms of Helicobacter pylori VacA Toxin.

Helicobacter pylori colonizes the stomach in about half of the human population, leading to an increased risk of peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer. H. pylori secretes an 88 kDa VacA toxin that contributes to pathogenesis.

A case of tracheal stenosis due to anaplastic thyroid carcinoma treated using the stent-in-stent method.

Tracheal AERO stent collapse is a rare complication compared to bronchial AERO stent collapse due to differences in the nitinol framework thickness. A 58-year-old man with a bulky anaplastic thyroid carcinoma was referred to our hospital due to exacerbation of tracheal stenosis despite the administration of lenvatinib. His tracheal stenosis exhibited a severe extrinsic compression pattern with a length of 8 cm.

Clinical Significance of the Preoperative Inflammatory Burden Index in Esophageal Cancer.

Introduction: The inflammatory burden index (IBI) serves as a prognostic marker for several cancers. Here, we evaluated the predictive value of preoperative IBI associated with the surgical and oncological outcomes of patients with esophageal cancer (EC).

Methods: The IBI was formulated as C-reactive protein × neutrophil/lymphocyte.

Successful management following combined thoracic endovascular aortic repair and minimally invasive esophagectomy for primary aortoesophageal fistula: A case report.

Aortoesophageal fistula (AEF) is a rare but life-threatening pathology. We report a case of a primary AEF that was successfully managed with temporary thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) and esophagectomy with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. A 73-year-old man was transferred to the emergency department with a complaint of hematemesis.

Altered motility in response to iron-limitation is regulated by in uropathogenic CFT073.

Unlabelled: More than half of all women will experience a urinary tract infection (UTI) in their lifetime with most cases caused by uropathogenic (UPEC). Bacterial motility enhances UPEC pathogenicity, resulting in more severe disease outcomes including kidney infection. Surprisingly, the connection between motility and iron limitation is mostly unexplored, despite the lack of free iron available in the host.

Double inferior vena cava, an uncommon but relevant anatomical anomaly in surgery for lower rectal cancer: a report of two cases.

Background: Double inferior vena cava (DIVC) is rare and usually detected incidentally. DIVC may be associated with several anatomical variants of the retroperitoneal and pelvic veins. These variants can pose a clinical problem during colorectal surgery.

Promoter methylation levels of microRNA-124 in non-neoplastic rectal mucosa as a potential biomarker for ulcerative colitis-associated colorectal cancer in pediatric-onset patients.

Purpose: To determine the methylation level of the miR-124 promoter in non-neoplastic rectal mucosa of patients with pediatric-onset ulcerative colitis (UC) to predict UC-associated colorectal cancer (UC-CRC).

Methods: Between 2005 and 2017, non-neoplastic rectal tissue specimens were collected from 86 patients with UC, including 13 patients with UC-CRC; cancer tissues were obtained from the latter group. The methylation status of the miR-124 promoter was quantified using bisulfite pyrosequencing and compared between pediatric- and adult-onset UC patients.

Robot-assisted laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection for anal canal cancer associated with Crohn's disease: A case report.

A 37-year-old man with Crohn's disease (CD) and a history of abdominal surgery was diagnosed with anal canal cancer. Robot-assisted laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection was performed and the patient was discharged without any postoperative complications. Recently, minimally invasive surgery for CD patients has grown in popularity.

Structural basis for control of bacterial RNA polymerase pausing by a riboswitch and its ligand.

Folding of nascent transcripts can be modulated by the RNA polymerase (RNAP) that carries out their transcription, and vice versa. A pause of RNAP during transcription of a preQ riboswitch (termed que-PEC) is stabilized by a previously characterized template consensus sequence and the ligand-free conformation of the nascent RNA. Ligand binding to the riboswitch induces RNAP pause release and downstream transcription termination; however, the mechanism by which riboswitch folding modulates pausing is unclear.

Comparative Biochemical Studies of Disease-Associated Human Dicer Mutations on Processing of a Pre-microRNA and snoRNA.

Dicer is an RNase III enzyme that is responsible for the maturation of small RNAs such as microRNAs. As Dicer's cleavage products play key roles in promoting cellular homeostasis through the fine-tuning of gene expression, dysregulation of Dicer activity can lead to several human diseases, including cancers. Mutations in Dicer have been found to induce tumorigenesis and lead to the development of a rare pleiotropic tumor predisposition syndrome found in children and young adults called DICER1 syndrome.