Identification of Breast Cancer Stem Cells Using a Newly Developed Long-acting Fluorescence Probe, C5S-A, Targeting ALDH1A1.

Background/aim: Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) 1A1 is a well-known marker for cancer stem cells (CSCs), characterized by self-renewal capacity and multidrug resistance in breast cancer. We developed a near-infrared turn-on fluorescence probe for ALDH1A1, C5S-A, which is suitable for observing and analyzing viable cells. Here, we demonstrated the utility of C5S-A in CSC research using breast cancer cell lines.

Safety and immunogenicity of the COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2 in patients undergoing chemotherapy for solid cancer.

Background: Although COVID-19 severity in cancer patients is high, the safety and immunogenicity of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in patients undergoing chemotherapy for solid cancers in Japan have not been reported.

Methods: We investigated the safety and immunogenicity of BNT162b2 in 41 patients undergoing chemotherapy for solid cancers and in healthy volunteers who received 2 doses of BNT162b2. We evaluated serum IgG antibody titers for S1 protein by ELISA at pre-vaccination, prior to the second dose and 14 days after the second vaccination in 24 cancer patients undergoing cytotoxic chemotherapy (CC group), 17 cancer patients undergoing immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy (ICI group) and 12 age-matched healthy volunteers (HV group).

Microsatellite instability-high colorectal cancer patient-derived xenograft models for cancer immunity research.

Context: There is an increasing demand for appropriate preclinical mice models for evaluating the efficacy of cancer immunotherapies.

Aims: Therefore, we established a humanized patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model using microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues and patient-derived peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).

Subjects And Methods: The CRC tissues of patients scheduled for surgery were tested for MSI status, and CRC tumors were transplanted into NOD/LtSz-scid/IL-2Rg-/-(NSG) mice to establish MSI-H PDX models.

Serum Soluble Interleukin-2 Receptor as a Potential Biomarker for Immune-related Adverse Events.

Background/aim: Biomarkers for immune-related adverse events (irAEs) induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are required. We encountered a patient whose skin irAE fluctuated in parallel with serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R).

Patients And Methods: We examined 15 patients with cancer who received ICIs.

The effects of interleukin-6 signal blockade on immune system, reproductive and skeletal development in juvenile mice.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is involved in the pathogenesis of multiple disorders, including juvenile autoimmune diseases. IL-6 participates in a broad spectrum of physiological events, and the IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) is widely distributed across multiple organs. The interrelationship of development phases in juveniles together with organs involved in IL-6 signaling called for evaluations of anti-IL-6R antibody induced effects in a juvenile mouse model to assess the safety of such an approach in human juvenile arthritis.

The effects of interleukin-6 signal blockade on fertility, embryo-fetal development, and immunization in vivo.

Possible effects of interleukin-6 (IL-6) on reproductive performance, embryonal development, parturition, and postnatal development have been suggested based on protein/mRNA expression level of IL-6 in related organs, but less is known about functions of IL-6 signals in these areas. Following two different approaches have been employed to investigate the role of IL-6 signals in fertility and pre-/postnatal development: administration of a rat anti-mouse IL-6 receptor antibody, MR16-1, to mice as a neutralizing antibody system, and B6.129S2-Il6(tm1Kopf)/J (IL-6 knockout [KO]) mice as a KO system.

Collaborative work on evaluation of ovarian toxicity. 10) Two- or four-week repeated dose studies and fertility study of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) in female rats.

The main purpose of this collaborative work is to determine the optimal administration period required to detect toxic effects in evaluation of ovarian morphological changes in repeated-dose toxicity studies. To assess the morphological and functional changes induced in the ovaries by di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), two repeated-dose toxicity studies (repeated dose for 2 or 4 weeks) of DEHP administrated to female rats at dose levels of 0, 300, 1,000 and 3,000 mg/kg were conducted in collaboration with a female fertility study at the same dosages from 2 weeks prior to mating to Day 7 of pregnancy. Histopathology of the ovaries in both repeated-dose toxicity studies showed vacuolation of stromal cells in the groups receiving 300 mg/kg or more and an increase of large atretic follicles in groups at 1,000 mg/kg or more.

Application of an indwelling vascular access port for intravenous administration in a repeated and intermittent dose toxicity study in rats.

Totally implantable catheter animal models are considered useful for pharmacological and toxicological studies. In this report, we assessed the feasibility of using an indwelling vascular access port (VAP) in rats for long-term evaluation of repeated and intermittent dose toxicity studies. In Experiment 1, the VAP devices were implanted in male and female rats and a saline solution administered intravenously via the posterior vena cava for 2 weeks (4 ml/kg, 2 ml/min, 5 times/week, 10 times total).

Contribution of intestinal calcium absorption to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-induced calcium action in the total parenteral nutrition rat.

To investigate the contribution of intestinal calcium (Ca) absorption to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) (1,25(OH) (2)D(3))-induced Ca action, we assessed parameters related to Ca metabolism after a single dosing of 1,25(OH)(2)D (3) in the total parenteral nutrition (TPN) solution or 5% D-mannitol (MAN) solution treatment with rats. Animals were divided into 6 groups (vehicle, 100 microg/kg p.o.

Total parenteral nutrition using continuous intravenous infusion via the posterior vena cava in rats.

This study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) in rats using continuous intravenous infusion (tail cuff method) via the posterior vena cava. A catheter was inserted into the posterior vena cava from the femoral vein of 10 females (Experiment 1) and 16 females (Experiment 2). The depth of the inserted catheter from the femoral vein was set at 4.