Publications by authors named "R Nagasawa"
We present the X-ray crystal structure of a complex between a G-clamp and an internal loop motif of pre-mir-125a, selected from high affinity RNAs identified in a large-scale RNA-binding profile. This X-ray crystal structure reveals that the G-clamp interacts with three distinct guanine bases, forming robust bonds through hydrogen bonding and stacking interactions.
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- Low HDL-cholesterol and corneal opacity are linked to diseases like fish-eye disease and familial LCAT deficiency, with diagnosis typically requiring both clinical and biochemical tests, particularly LCAT activity, which isn't accessible in all clinics.
- A case study revealed a patient with compound heterozygous FED whose CE/TC ratio was normal, contrasting with the expectation of low levels due to LCAT gene variants.
- The patient showed 20% LCAT α-activity, which is enough to normalize their CE/TC ratio but insufficient to prevent corneal opacity, highlighting a distinction in LCAT activity's effects on disease symptoms.
Article Synopsis
- Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have improved cancer treatment outcomes but identifying effective biomarkers for patient selection is essential due to current markers like PD-L1 showing limited predictive accuracy.
- * This study analyzes blood-based factors, like neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and red cell distribution width (RDW), to predict benefits from ICI therapy using data from a Clinical Data Warehouse (CDW) and electronic medical records (EMR).
- * Results showed a significant correlation between high RDW and the likelihood of receiving fewer doses of the ICI pembrolizumab, highlighting its potential as a prognostic marker for predicting treatment efficacy.
Article Synopsis
- - Biologics, like benralizumab, are key treatments for severe asthma, but there's limited data on their effects in elderly patients (70+ years old).
- - A study analyzed 51 patients (22 elderly, 29 non-elderly) treated with benralizumab, showing significant reductions in asthma exacerbations for both groups during treatment.
- - The medication was well-tolerated in elderly patients, with a similar rate of discontinuation due to side effects compared to non-elderly patients.
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigates the link between HLA genotypes and the severity of COVID-19 in 209 Japanese patients, identifying how specific alleles correlate with severe respiratory cases over different epidemic periods (pre-Omicron and Omicron).
- - Significant associations were found, particularly with alleles HLA-DQA1*01:03 and HLA-DQB1*06:01, showing higher frequencies in severe COVID-19 cases compared to non-severe cases, primarily during the pre-Omicron period.
- - There was a strong correlation between the two significant alleles (r = 0.91), indicating they are often inherited together, and their presence in the severe group highlights potential genetic factors influencing COVID-19