Postoperative hyperfractionated IMRT with weekly cisplatin for head and neck cancer: phase IIa trial.

Postoperative chemoradiotherapy (POCRT) is the standard treatment for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) with high-risk features (positive microscopic margins and/or extranodal extensions). We hypothesized that dose escalation using hyperfractionation in intensity-modulated radiotherapy (HF-IMRT) improves POCRT outcomes; however, no prospective trial has assessed the feasibility of POCRT in HF. Therefore, we evaluated the feasibility of POCRT using HF-IMRT.

Subgenome-informed statistical modeling of transcriptomes in 25 common wheat accessions reveals cis- and trans- regulation architectures.

Common wheat is allohexaploid, where it is difficult to obtain homoeolog-distinguished transcriptome data. Lasy-Seq, a type of 3' RNA-seq, is a technology efficient at obtaining homoeolog-distinguished transcriptomes. Here we applied Lasy-Seq to obtain transcriptome data from the seedlings, second leaves, and root tips of 25 common wheat lines mainly from East Asia.

A first-in-human clinical study of an allogenic iPSC-derived corneal endothelial cell substitute transplantation for bullous keratopathy.

A first-in-human investigator-initiated clinical study of a corneal endothelial cell substitute (CLS001) derived from a clinical-grade induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line shows improvement of visual acuity and corneal stromal edema, with no adverse events for up to 1 year after surgery for the treatment of bullous keratopathy. While preclinical tests, including multiple whole-genome analysis and tumorigenicity tests adhering to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) draft guidelines, are negative, an additional whole-genome analysis conducted on transplanted CLS001 cells reveals a de novo in-frame deletion of exon22 in the EP300 gene. No adverse events related to the mutation are observed.

Macrophage-like Blood Cells Are Involved in Inter-Tissue Communication to Activate JAK/STAT Signaling, Inducing Antitumor Turandot Proteins in Fat Body via the TNF-JNK Pathway.

Turandot (Tot) family proteins, which are induced via the JAK/STAT pathway after infection, also suppress lymph gland tumors in mutant larvae. We investigated the potential role of hemocytes in induction in tumor-bearing mutants via immunostaining and RNAi experiments. Normal hemocytes transplanted into mutant larvae were recruited to the tumor and fat body (FB), suggesting that these cells transmit tumor-related information.

The Roles of Mitochondria in Human Being's Life and Aging.

The universe began 13.8 billion years ago, and Earth was born 4.6 billion years ago.

Subjective symptoms are triggers for the detection of immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced interstitial lung disease and associate with disease severity: a single-center retrospective study.

Background: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is one of the most common fatal immune-related adverse events (irAEs). ILD development adversely affects the continuation of anticancer drug therapy, including immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy and prognosis. There are no established useful clinical indicators for the early detection of ILD.

Relationship between Tilt Sensation Ability and Lower Limb Injuries in Junior Athletes.

The purpose of this study was to devise a tilt sensation measurement method to evaluate ankle proprioception and to examine its reliability. It was also used to determine the relationship among tilt sensation abilities, physical development, and lower limb injuries in junior athletes. In this study, a step platform created tilt angles.

How the brain can be trained to achieve an intermittent control strategy for stabilizing quiet stance by means of reinforcement learning.

The stabilization of human quiet stance is achieved by a combination of the intrinsic elastic properties of ankle muscles and an active closed-loop activation of the ankle muscles, driven by the delayed feedback of the ongoing sway angle and the corresponding angular velocity in a way of a delayed proportional (P) and derivative (D) feedback controller. It has been shown that the active component of the stabilization process is likely to operate in an intermittent manner rather than as a continuous controller: the switching policy is defined in the phase-plane, which is divided in dangerous and safe regions, separated by appropriate switching boundaries. When the state enters a dangerous region, the delayed PD control is activated, and it is switched off when it enters a safe region, leaving the system to evolve freely.

Near-infrared focused heating method for the rotational diamond anvil cell.

We developed a near-infrared focused heating system (IRrDAC) for deformation experiments using a rotational diamond anvil cell. This study reports the results of annealing tests on silver and antigorite conducted at SPring-8 (BL47XU) using the IRrDAC system. The experimental results demonstrated the melting of silver and the dehydration of antigorite, confirming the capability of this system.

Glycogenolysis-Induced Astrocytic Serping1 Expression Regulates Neuroinflammatory Effects on Hippocampal neuron.

The bacterial pathogen, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), elicits microglial response and induces cytokine secretion that subsequently activates astrocytes. Recent findings have indicated that LPS-induced activation of postnatal glial cells has led to alterations in synapse formation in hippocampal and cortical neurons, thereby resulting in a prolonged increased risk for seizure or depression. Nevertheless, its mechanisms remain to be fully elucidated.

Catalytic effect of microflow space for supramolecular block co-polymerization of water-soluble porphyrins.

Using microflow space, a catalytic effect was achieved for supramolecular polymerization. With increasing reactivity at the polymer end, the selective connection of active monomers formed new block domains, avoiding fast homo-assembly. Binding of less-reactive monomers at the polymer end overcame steric bulkiness, affording a stable supramolecular diblock copolymer (SdiBCP).

Programmable Computational RNA Droplets Assembled via Kissing-Loop Interaction.

DNA droplets, artificial liquid-like condensates of well-engineered DNA sequences, allow the critical aspects of phase-separated biological condensates to be harnessed programmably, such as molecular sensing and phase-state regulation. In contrast, their RNA-based counterparts remain less explored despite more diverse molecular structures and functions ranging from DNA-like to protein-like features. Here, we design and demonstrate computational RNA droplets capable of two-input AND logic operations.

Microwave Effect in Hydrolysis of Levoglucosan with a Solid Acid Catalyst for Pyrolysis-Based Cellulose Saccharification.

Pyrolysis-based saccharification consisting of fast pyrolysis followed by hydrolysis of the resulting anhydrosugars such as levoglucosan is a promising method for converting cellulosic biomass into glucose that can be used for producing biofuels and biochemicals. In the present study, hydrolysis of levoglucosan was evaluated in water with a polystyrene sulfonic acid resin (a solid acid catalyst) by heating under microwave irradiation or in an oil bath at 95 °C-120 °C. When the equilibrium temperature of the solution was the same, the conversion rate of levoglucosan was greater under microwave irradiation than in an oil bath.

A macrocyclic kinase inhibitor overcomes triple resistant mutations in EGFR-positive lung cancer.

Brigatinib-based therapy was effective against osimertinib-resistant EGFR C797S mutants and is undergoing clinical studies. However, tumor relapse suggests additional resistance mutations might emerge. Here, we first demonstrated the binding mode of brigatinib to the EGFR-T790M/C797S mutant by crystal structure analysis and predicted brigatinib-resistant mutations through a cell-based assay including N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) mutagenesis.

Facilely Fabricated Zero-Bias Silicon-Based Plasmonic Photodetector in the Near-Infrared Region with a Schottky Barrier Properly Controlled by Nanoalloys.

Plasmonic Schottky devices have attracted considerable attention for use in practical applications based on photoelectric conversion, because they enable light to be harvested below the bandgap of semiconductors. In particular, silicon-based (Si) plasmonic Schottky devices have great potential for useful photodetection in the near-infrared region. However, the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) values of previously reported devices are low because the Schottky barrier is excessively high.

Correction: Ionic supramolecular polymerization of water-soluble porphyrins: balancing ionic attraction and steric repulsion to govern stacking.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D2RA05542B.].

A closer look at the time course of bodily responses to awe experiences.

The structure and function of awe have been examined by focusing on the average level of outcomes during awe experiences. In the present study, we tested the psychophysiological process of experiencing awe, focusing on time-series changes in skin conductance responses (SCRs), a moment-by-moment measure of sympathetic nervous responses, and pupil diameter, which is dilated or constricted through the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. The responses were measured through an experiment where 77 Japanese university students watched emotional (awe, amusement, or neutral) videos while moving a joystick when they felt supernatural agency or non-agency, examining the underlying psychological processes.

Bioluminescent immunoassay for serine/threonine protein kinase activity using an aequorin-labeled monoclonal antibody and a synthetic peptide as a substrate.

A bioluminescent immunoassay system was developed to determine serine/threonine protein kinase activity using an aequorin-labeled monoclonal antibody and a synthetic peptide as the substrate. A monoclonal antibody against the synthetic phosphorylated serine peptide (K9P peptide) of histone H3 (19 amino acid residues), referred to as the H3S10P antibody, was chemically conjugated to maleimide-activated aequorin to prepare aequorin-labeled H3S10P (AQ-S-H3S10P). For the serine/threonine kinase assay, a non-phosphorylated serine peptide (K9C peptide) coated on a microplate was incubated with serine/threonine protein kinase in the presence of ATP and Mg.

A key evolutionary step determining osmoregulatory ability for freshwater colonisation in early life stages of fish.

Colonisation of freshwater habitats by marine animals is a remarkable evolutionary event that has enriched biodiversity in freshwater ecosystems. The acquisition of tolerance to hypotonic stress during early life stages is presumed to be essential for their successful freshwater colonisation, but very little empirical evidence has been obtained to support this idea. This study aimed to comprehend the evolutionary changes in osmoregulatory mechanisms that enhance larval freshwater tolerance in amphidromous fishes, which typically spend their larval period in marine (ancestral) habitats and the rest of their life history stages in freshwater (derived) habitats.

Mapping protein dynamics at high spatial resolution with temperature-jump X-ray crystallography.

Understanding and controlling protein motion at atomic resolution is a hallmark challenge for structural biologists and protein engineers because conformational dynamics are essential for complex functions such as enzyme catalysis and allosteric regulation. Time-resolved crystallography offers a window into protein motions, yet without a universal perturbation to initiate conformational changes the method has been limited in scope. Here we couple a solvent-based temperature jump with time-resolved crystallography to visualize structural motions in lysozyme, a dynamic enzyme.

Superoxide Dismutase-like Activity of Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework Nanoparticles Comprising Biomimetic Imidazolato-bridged CuZn Units.

Nanoparticles exhibiting enzymatic functions have garnered considerable attention due to their structural robustness and the profusion of active sites that can be introduced to a single nanosized particle. Here we report that nanosized mixed-metal zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) show a superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like catalytic activity. We chose a ZIF composed of copper and zinc ions and 2-methylimidazole, CuZn-ZIF-8, in which the Cu and Zn ions are bridged by an imidazolato ligand.

Timing of the infusion of nivolumab for patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus influences its efficacy.

Background: The immune system is affected by the circadian rhythm. The objective of this study was to clarify whether time-of-day patterns (early or late in the daytime) of the infusion of nivolumab and whether its duration affect treatment efficacy in metastatic or recurrent esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (R/M-ESCC).

Methods: The data of 62 consecutive patients with R/M-ESCC treated with nivolumab between February 2017 and May 2022 were retrospectively reviewed.