Mercury and stable nitrogen isotope ratios in the hair of bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus nauticus) from the Sea of Okhotsk.

The mercury pollution status in the northwestern Sea of Okhotsk remains largely unexplored. In this study, hair samples were collected from 40 bearded seals harvested between August and October 2021 in the region. Total mercury (THg) concentrations in the samples exhibited a wide range from 137 to 1885 ng/g (median: 407 ng/g).

Comparison of D2 vs D3 lymph node dissection for RIght COloN cancer (RICON): study protocol for an international multicenter open-label randomized controlled trial.

Background: Colon cancer is a global health concern, ranking fifth in both new diagnoses and deaths among tumors worldwide. Surgical intervention remains the primary treatment for localized cases, with a historical evolution marked by a focus on short-term outcomes. While Japan pioneered radical tumor removal with a systematic categorization of lymph nodes (D1, D2, D3), the dissemination of Japanese practices to the West was delayed until 90th of last century.

Biodistribution and safety of a single rAAV3B-AAT vector for silencing and replacement of alpha-1 antitrypsin in .

Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is characterized by both chronic lung disease due to loss of wild-type AAT (M-AAT) antiprotease function and liver disease due to toxicity from delayed secretion, polymerization, and aggregation of misfolded mutant AAT (Z-AAT). The ideal gene therapy for AATD should therefore comprise both endogenous Z-AAT suppression and M-AAT overexpression. We designed a dual-function rAAV3B (df-rAAV3B) construct, which was effective at transducing hepatocytes, resulting in a considerable decrease of Z-AAT levels and safe M-AAT augmentation in mice.

Suspension Culture Production and Purification of Adeno-Associated Virus by Iodixanol Density Gradient Centrifugation for In Vivo Applications.

This protocol describes recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) production and purification by iodixanol density gradient centrifugation, a serotype-agnostic method of purifying AAV first described in 1999. rAAV vectors are widely used in gene therapy applications to deliver transgenes to various human cell types. In this work, the recombinant virus is produced by transfection of Expi293 cells in suspension culture with plasmids encoding the transgene, vector capsid, and adenoviral helper genes.

Risk factors that impact long-term outcomes in sigmoid colon cancer with urinary bladder involvement.

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the risk factors impacting long-term outcomes in patients diagnosed with sigmoid colon cancer with urinary bladder involvement.

Methods: A comprehensive analysis was conducted on a retrospective cohort of 118 patients who underwent multivisceral resection for sigmoid colon cancer with urinary bladder involvement between June 2002 and May 2017. Univariate and multivariate analyses were employed to identify risk factors associated with long-term outcomes.