Objectives: Even in the current era of hematology analyzer automation and peripheral equipment, quality control sample measurement remains a manual task, leading to variability in quality control data and increased workload. In this study, we evaluated the performance of quality control measurement using the BT-50 Transportation Unit (BT-50, Sysmex, Kobe, Japan), equipped with a scheduled automatic quality control function, to ensure measurement accuracy and streamline the workflow of hematology testing.
Methods: We evaluated the automatic measurement performance of quality control samples using the BT-50 for six representative blood test parameters: WBC (white blood cell), RBC (red blood cell), HGB (hemoglobin), HCT (hematocrit), PLT (platelet), and RET% (reticulocyte percent).
Endoscopic surgery has been introduced in various surgical fields. Endoscopic surgery requires different skills from open surgery due to the restricted surgical field and difficulty in identifying anatomical structures from certain viewpoints. Therefore, surgeons need to undergo sufficient surgical training before performing such surgery in the clinical setting.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSnake venoms are complex mixtures of toxic proteins encoded by various gene families that function synergistically to incapacitate prey. A huge repertoire of snake venom genes and proteins have been reported, and alternative splicing is suggested to be involved in the production of divergent gene transcripts. However, a genome-wide survey of the transcript repertoire and the extent of alternative splicing still remains to be determined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFoxp3-expressing CD4 regulatory T (Treg) cells need to differentiate into effector Treg (eTreg) cells to maintain immune homeostasis. T-cell receptor (TCR)-dependent induction of the transcription factor IRF4 is essential for eTreg differentiation, but how IRF4 activity is regulated in Treg cells is still unclear. Here we show that the AP-1 transcription factor, JunB, is expressed in eTreg cells and promotes an IRF4-dependent transcription program.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMunicipal solid waste (MSW) contaminated by radioactive cesium (r-Cs) has been incinerated since the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. Eight thermal treatment plants with four different types of furnaces were comprehensively investigated to provide fundamental data to improve our understanding of the behavior of r-Cs in various types of MSW thermal treatment facilities. R-Cs tended to distribute to the fly ash (FA) more than to the residue from the bottom of the furnace (bottom ash, incombustibles or slag).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) is a prototypical mesenchymal neoplasm that induces non-islet cell tumor hypoglycemia (NICTH) due to overproduction of insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2). We here report the case of a malignant SFT associated with a hypoglycemia attack.
Case Presentation: An 81-year-old man with a large subphrenic mass presented with hypoglycemia and loss of consciousness.
Evolution of novel traits is a challenging subject in biological research. Several snake lineages developed elaborate venom systems to deliver complex protein mixtures for prey capture. To understand mechanisms involved in snake venom evolution, we decoded here the ~1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Bivalve molluscs have flourished in marine environments, and many species constitute important aquatic resources. Recently, whole genome sequences from two bivalves, the pearl oyster, Pinctada fucata, and the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, have been decoded, making it possible to compare genomic sequences among molluscs, and to explore general and lineage-specific genetic features and trends in bivalves. In order to improve the quality of sequence data for these purposes, we have updated the entire P.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis is a case of a woman who was diagnosed with resistance to thyroid hormone after total thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer. Preoperative laboratory examination revealed the syndrome of inappropriate secretion of TSH, however, the patient had no thyrotoxic symptoms and no family history. Based on the results of ultrasonography and fine needle aspiration, she was diagnosed with papillary thyroid carcinoma and underwent total thyroidectomy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe report the case of a 50-year-old female Jehovah's Witness with advanced esophageal cancer who underwent esophagectomy following induction chemotherapy. She visited our hospital complaining of dysphagia and was diagnosed of advanced esophageal cancer by upper endoscopy. She refused allogeneic transfusion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe evolutionary origins of lingulid brachiopods and their calcium phosphate shells have been obscure. Here we decode the 425-Mb genome of Lingula anatina to gain insights into brachiopod evolution. Comprehensive phylogenomic analyses place Lingula close to molluscs, but distant from annelids.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
October 2013
Cyclostomes, comprising jawless vertebrates such as lampreys and hagfishes, are the sister group of living jawed vertebrates (gnathostomes) and hence an important group for understanding the origin and diversity of vertebrates. In vertebrates and other metazoans, Hox genes determine cell fate along the anteroposterior axis of embryos and are implicated in driving morphological diversity. Invertebrates contain a single Hox cluster (either intact or fragmented), whereas elephant shark, coelacanth, and tetrapods contain four Hox clusters owing to two rounds of whole-genome duplication ("1R" and "2R") during early vertebrate evolution.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Dinoflagellates are known for their capacity to form harmful blooms (e.g., "red tides") and as symbiotic, photosynthetic partners for corals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe sediment-water distribution coefficient, (K(d)), is one of the most important parameters in radionuclide assessment models. In this study, we determined K ds of stable iodine (I) in estuarine and coastal regions. We studied 16 estuarine and coastal regions of Japan and obtained I data on water and sediments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite environmental and geochemical interests, Cr and Fe have been left beyond the reach of determinations by ICP-MS due to severe interferences originating from Ar. The applicability of a dynamic reaction cell (DRC)-ICP-MS has been examined for determinations in environmental and geochemical samples. The reaction with NH(3) in the DRC system provides an eligible technique to determine Cr, because of a greater improvement in the signal/noise (S/N) ratio due to an effective elimination of interferences arising from Ar (ArC, ArN and ArO), and makes it possible to analyze Cr even at sub-microg L(-1) levels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCase 1: An 86-year-old woman had an invasive breast cancer with dermal infiltration. Bone metastases were found in the femur and lumbar vertebrae. She was treated with 2 courses of 70 mg docetaxel (DOC) chemotherapy every 3 weeks, after which the tumor dramatically decreased in size.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 78-year-old woman was referred to our hospital complaining of a hard nodule on the left side of her neck. Histological examination of this nodule showed metastatic carcinoma from breast cancer. Further examination revealed paraaortic lymph node swelling and no breast tumors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe inhibitory effects of a novel matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor, ONO-4817, on the development of mammary tumors and the progression of uterine adenomyosis were examined in SHN mice. First, multiparous mice which developed mammary tumors spontaneously were used. The first palpable tumor was removed, and the mice were thereafter fed chow containing ONO-4817.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRice is a staple food in Japan and other Asian countries, and the soil-to-plant transfer factor of 137Cs released into the environment is an important parameter for estimating the internal radiation dose from food ingestion. Soil and rice grain samples were collected from 20 paddy fields throughout Aomori Prefecture, Japan in 1996 and 1997, and soil-to-polished rice transfer factors were determined. The concentrations of 137Cs, derived from fallout depositions, stable Cs and K in paddy soils were 2.
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