PD-L1 Induction by Cancer-Associated Fibroblast-Derived Factors in Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) exert various effects upon biological behaviours of cancer. In this study, we examined the correlation of CAFs with the intra-tumoural immune system in the lung adenocarcinoma microenvironment. We studied 27 and 113 cases of lung adenocarcinoma tentatively as Cohorts 1 and 2, respectively.

Reconstruction of Geometric and Optical Parameters of Non-Planar Objects with Thin Film.

Here, we propose a novel method to estimate the parameters of non-planar objects with thin film surfaces. Being able to estimate the optical parameters of objects with thin film surfaces has a wide range of applications from industrial inspections to biological and archaeology research. However, there are many challenging issues that need to be overcome to model such parameters.

Distribution of glutamate receptor, ionotropic, kainate 1 and neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide mRNAs during formation of the embryonic and postnatal mouse molar in the maxilla.

The neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a well-characterized neurotransmitter. Glutamate receptor, ionotropic, kainate 1 (Grik1) has also been demonstrated to generate high-affinity kainate receptors. However, little is known about the roles of CGRP and Grik1 during the developmental formation of teeth.

Predictors of parental distress during acute phase of pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in Japan: A multicenter prospective study.

Objective: The purposes of this study were (1) to describe the levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms in parents of children undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) before (Time 1 [T1]) and one month after transplantation (Time 2 [T2]), and (2) to identify the pre-HSCT factors that predict anxiety and depressive symptoms in fathers and mothers one month after transplantation.

Methods: A prospective quantitative study was conducted at four children's hospitals between June 2015 and September 2016 using self-administered questionnaires and medical records. Parents from 23 families, including 19 fathers and 23 mothers, completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (cutoff score: 8) and provided information regarding their stress appraisal, coping strategies, family functioning, demographic characteristics, and children's health-related quality of life.

Pathological characteristics of thyroid glands from Japanese Black Cattle living in the restricted area of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.

To study the effect of ionizing radiation on thyroid glands, 66 Japanese Black cattle residing in the restricted area of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2013-2017 were pathologically examined. There were no clinical symptoms of thyroid disease in these cattle. Three cases of goiter and seven of atrophy were found in two among the four farms examined.

A Microfacet-Based Model for Photometric Stereo with General Isotropic Reflectance.

This paper presents a precise, stable, and invertible reflectance model for photometric stereo. This microfacet-based model is applicable to all types of isotropic surface reflectance, covering cases from diffusion to specular reflections. We introduce a single variable to physically quantify the surface smoothness, and by monotonically sliding this variable between 0 and 1, our model enables a versatile representation that can smoothly transform between an ellipsoid of revolution and the equation for Lambertian reflectance.

Comparison of urine and blood as a convenient and practical sample for estimating the contamination level of live cattle with radioactive cesium.

Blood and urine were compared to clarify which is a better sample for estimating the concentration of radioactive cesium in muscles of live cattle. The most probable concentration of Cs in muscles was 21.0 times that in blood, and the error of this estimation was 28%.

An analysis of factors associated with compliance and dropout of sublingual immunotherapy on Japanese cedar pollinosis patients.

Background: Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is safe and effective but compliance is problematic. In this study we evaluated dropout and compliance among adults (≥20 years of age) and adolescents (<20 years of age) for Japanese cedar pollen extract (JCPE), an aqueous SLIT approved in 2014 in Japan.

Methods: Administrative claims data on 1236 Japanese patients, 846 adults (mean age, 43.

Thiamine deficiency in the bereaved after cancer-related spousal loss.

Objective: Thiamine deficiency (TD) is recognized in various kinds of disease with associated loss of appetite including cancer. However, it has not been recognized to date in bereaved partners after spousal loss from cancer.

Method: From a series of bereaved partners who lost a spouse to cancer, we report on those who developed TD after bereavement.

Seeds of Centranthus ruber and Valeriana officinalis Contain Conjugated Linolenic Acids with Reported Antitumor Effects.

Conjugated linolenic acids (CLNs) are naturally occurring fatty acids that are believed to have anticancer properties. In this study, we examined various plant seeds from herbs to discover seed oils containing CLNs. The ultraviolet spectra of total lipids from these seeds were measured.

Regulatory T cells and M2-polarized tumour-associated macrophages are associated with the oncogenesis and progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) and tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) contribute to the tumour microenvironment by inhibiting anti-tumour immune responses. This study was performed to investigate the roles of Tregs and TAMs in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and oral epithelial precursor lesions (OEPL). The expression of Treg markers CD25 and FoxP3 and TAM markers CD163 and CD204 was investigated in 82 OSCC and 45 OEPL specimens, and their associations with clinicopathological parameters were analyzed.

CD271 is a negative prognostic factor and essential for cell proliferation in lung squamous cell carcinoma.

Squamous cell carcinoma is a major type of cancer in the lung. While several therapeutic target molecules for lung adenocarcinoma have been identified, little is known about lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). We recently reported that CD271 (p75 neurotrophin receptor) serves as a marker for tumor initiation and is a key regulator of cell proliferation in hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Integrated datasets of normalized brain with functional localization using intra-operative electrical stimulation.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to transform brain mapping data into a digitized intra-operative MRI and integrated brain function dataset for predictive glioma surgery considering tumor resection volume, as well as the intra-operative and postoperative complication rates.

Methods: Brain function data were transformed into digitized localizations on a normalized brain using a modified electric stimulus probe after brain mapping. This normalized brain image with functional information was then projected onto individual patient's brain images including predictive brain function data.

Effects of Treatment Time and Thickness of Meat on the Removal of Radioactive Cesium from Beef Slices by Boiling and Water Extraction.

Boiling effectively decreased radioactive cesium concentrations in beef. Water extraction was also effective but not as effective as boiling. The decontamination effect increased with treatment time.

RanBP1-1 Is Involved in the Induction of Disease Resistance via Regulation of Nuclear-Cytoplasmic Transport of Small GTPase Ran.

Plant cells enhance the tolerances to abiotic and biotic stresses via recognition of the stress, activation and nuclear import of signaling factors, up-regulation of defense genes, nuclear export of mRNA and translation of defense proteins. Nuclear pore-mediated transports should play critical roles in these processes, however, the regulatory mechanisms of nuclear-cytoplasmic transport during stress responses are largely unknown. In this study, a regulator of nuclear export of RNA and proteins, NbRanBP1-1 (Ran-binding protein1-1), was identified as an essential gene for the resistance of to potato blight pathogen .

Draft Genome Sequence of Deoxynivalenol-Degrading Actinomycete Nocardioides sp. Strain LS1, Isolated from Wheat Leaves in Japan.

Actinomycete Nocardioides sp. strain LS1, isolated from wheat leaf, is a bacterium that degrades and assimilates the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) as the carbon source. This is the first study of the genome sequence of the DON-degrading genus Nocardioides, and it facilitates the study of genes encoding the DON-degrading pathway.

Estimation of Wetness and Color from a Single Multispectral Image.

Recognizing wet surfaces and their degrees of wetness is essential for many computer vision applications. Surface wetness can inform us slippery spots on a road to autonomous vehicles, muddy areas of a trail to humanoid robots, and the freshness of groceries to us. The fact that surfaces darken when wet, i.

The correlation of p22 and chemosensitivity in EGFR-TKI resistant lung adenocarcinoma.

Background: Enhancing the chemosensitivity in the patients with epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) resistant lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is pivotal in achieving their successful therapeutic outcome. We aimed to explore the mechanisms regarding the development of therapeutic resistance to chemotherapy in EGFR-TKI resistant LUAD. Methods: Microarray analysis lead to potential involvement of p22, which was abundantly expressed in the cell lines harboring EGFR-TKI resistance and chemoresistance, and was known to regulate several important chemoresistance-associated factors such as hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT).

Thiamine deficiency observed in a cancer patient's caregiver.

Objective: Thiamine deficiency (TD) is recognized in various kinds of disease with associated loss of appetite including cancer; however, TD has not been recognized in the family caregivers of cancer patients to date.

Method: From a series of cancer patient caregivers, we reported an aged family caregiver who developed TD while caring for the cancer patient.

Result: The caregiver was a 90-year-old male.

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis aggravates nitric oxide synthase inhibition-induced arteriosclerosis in SHRSP5/Dmcr rat model.

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is linked to increased cardiovascular risk, independent of the broad spectrum of metabolic syndrome risk factors. Stroke-prone (SP) spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP5/Dmcr) fed a high-fat and high-cholesterol (HFC) diet developed hepatic lesions similar to those in human NASH pathology. These rats simultaneously developed lipid deposits in the mesenteric arteries, cardiac fibrosis, endothelial dysfunction and left ventricle (LV) diastolic dysfunction.

Rifaximin-altered gut microbiota components associated with liver/neuropsychological functions in patients with hepatic encephalopathy: An exploratory data analysis of phase II/III clinical trials.

Aims: Rifaximin (RFX), a non-systemic antibiotic, improves liver/neuropsychological functions in patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE). We aimed to investigate the clinical profiles associated with gut bacterial loads using exploratory data analysis and the effects of RFX on the gut microbiota of patients with HE.

Methods: We analyzed the data from 17 patients with HE who underwent fecal microbiota examination in phase II/III trials in Japan.

Associations among behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, care burden, and family-to-work conflict of employed family caregivers.

Aim: The present study aimed to examine the associations among behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) of persons with dementia (PWD), care burden and family-to-work conflict (FWC) of employed family caregivers.

Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out with employed adult daughter or son (or in-law) caregivers for PWD from two rural cities in Japan. FWC, care burden and the degree of BPSD were evaluated by the Survey Work-Home Interaction-NijmeGen, Zarit Burden Scale-Short Version and Dementia Behavior Disturbance Scale, respectively.

Analysis of the development of human foetal nasal turbinates using CBCT imaging.

Purpose: The morphological structure of the nasal cavity (NC) is important for endoscopic surgical treatment. The location of nasal turbinates, including the superior turbinate (ST), middle turbinate (MT) and inferior turbinate (IT), are well presented during the formation of the human NC in cone beam CT (CBCT) images. There is a complex relationship between the nasal sinuses, the maxillary sinus (MS), ethmoidal sinus and sphenoid sinus, during formation of the NC structure at the morphological level.