Development of a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene-editing method to isolate a mutant of the unicellular green alga Parachlorella kessleri strain NIES-2152 with improved lipid productivity.

Background: Previously, we isolated a mutant of Parachlorella kessleri named strain PK4 that accumulated higher concentrations of lipids than the wild-type strain. Resequencing of the PK4 genome identified mutations in three genes which may be associated with the high-lipid phenotype. The first gene, named CDMT1, encodes a protein with a calcium-dependent membrane association domain; the second gene, named DMAN1, encodes endo-1,4-β-mannanase, while the third gene, named AATPL1, encodes a plastidic ATP/ADP antiporter-like protein.

Long-Term Analgesic Efficacy of Neurolytic Splanchnic Nerve Block via the Transintervertebral Disc Approach to Retrocrural Space: A Multicenter Retrospective Study.

Introduction: The celiac plexus block is effective for treating intractable cancer pain and has been the focus of many studies. At our affiliated institution, fluoroscopy-guided splanchnic nerve block with a single needle via the transintervertebral disc approach was the first choice of treatment. The short-term efficacy of this technique has been reported, but the long-term efficacy is not clear.

Statistical injury prediction for professional sumo wrestlers: Modeling and perspectives.

In sumo wrestling, a traditional sport in Japan, many wrestlers suffer from injuries through bouts. In 2019, an average of 5.2 out of 42 wrestlers in the top division of professional sumo wrestling were absent in each grand sumo tournament due to injury.

Opioid withdrawal symptoms after neurolytic splanchnic nerve block in cancer patients.

Purpose: Few reports on opioid withdrawal (OW) due to opioid tapering in cancer patients have been published. The incidence of and risk factors for OW after neurolytic splanchnic nerve block (NSNB) are unknown. This study aimed to elucidate the incidence of and risk factors for OW among cancer patients who could have reduced opioid doses after NSNB.

Useful classification of intussusception for preoperative 3D-MDCT images, type M or W: a case report and a novel classification.

A 67-year old male with intussusception due to sigmoid colonic caner was treated. For making correct classification of antegrade or retrograde type, multidetector-computed tomography in longitudinal views seemed optimal to demonstrate anatomical type. This radiological modality made to identify this instead of ultrasound sonography (US) could reveal details of surrounding information.

Rapid transcriptomic and physiological changes in the freshwater pennate diatom Mayamaea pseudoterrestris in response to copper exposure.

Diatoms function as major primary producers, accumulating large amounts of biomass in most aquatic environments. Given their rapid responses to changes in environmental conditions, diatoms are used for the biological monitoring of water quality and for performing ecotoxicological tests in aquatic ecosystems. However, the molecular basis for their toxicity to chemical compounds remains largely unknown.

Efficacy and Safety of Neurolytic Splanchnic Nerve Block via Transintervertebral Disc Approach to Retrocrural Space: A Multicenter Retrospective Study.

Introduction: Celiac plexus block is effective for treating intractable cancer pain and has been the focus of many studies. Several guiding techniques such as fluoroscopy, computed tomography, and endoscopy have been devised, and the target of the block has varied in previous studies as both the celiac plexus and splanchnic nerve, which is the main origin of the celiac plexus, have been targeted. At our affiliated institution, fluoroscopy-guided splanchnic nerve block with a single needle via transintervertebral disc approach is the first choice.

Characterization of Growth and Cell Cycle Events Affected by Light Intensity in the Green Alga : A New Model for Cell Cycle Research.

Multiple fission is a cell cycle variation leading to the production of more than two daughter cells. Here, we used synchronized cultures of the chlorococcal green alga to study its growth and pattern of cell division under varying light intensities. The time courses of DNA replication, nuclear and cellular division, cell size, total RNA, protein content, dry matter and accumulation of starch were observed at incident light intensities of 110, 250 and 500 µmol photons ms.

Magnetosome membrane engineering to improve G protein-coupled receptor activities in the magnetosome display system.

Magnetotactic bacterium, Magnetospirillum magneticum, produces biogenic magnetic nanoparticles termed magnetosomes, which are primarily composed of a magnetite core and a surrounding lipid bilayer membrane. We have fabricated human transmembrane protein-magnetosome complexes by genetic engineering with embedding the transmembrane proteins of interest, in particular G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), in the magnetosome membrane. The magnetosomes provide a promising platform for high throughput ligand screening towards drug discovery, and this is a critical advantage of the magnetosome display system beyond conventional membrane platforms such as liposomes and lipid nano-discs.

Coproduction of lipids and extracellular polysaccharides from the novel green alga sp. BX1.5 depending on cultivation conditions.

A novel strain of microalga sp. BX1.5 was isolated and its unique properties of producing lipids and extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) characterized.

Three-dimensional ultrastructure and hyperspectral imaging of metabolite accumulation and dynamics in Haematococcus and Chlorella.

Phycology has developed alongside light and electron microscopy techniques. Since the 1950s, progress in the field has accelerated dramatically with the advent of electron microscopy. Transmission electron microscopes can only acquire imaging data on a 2D plane.

Carotenoid dynamics and lipid droplet containing astaxanthin in response to light in the green alga Haematococcus pluvialis.

The unicellular green alga Haematococcus pluvialis accumulates large amounts of the red ketocarotenoid astaxanthin to protect against environmental stresses. Haematococcus cells that accumulate astaxanthin in the central part (green-red cyst cells) respond rapidly to intense light by distributing astaxanthin diffusively to the peripheral part of the cell within 10 min after irradiation. This response is reversible: when astaxanthin-diffused cells were placed in the dark, astaxanthin was redistributed to the center of the cell.

Enhancement of glycolysis by inhibition of oxygen-sensing prolyl hydroxylases protects alveolar epithelial cells from acute lung injury.

Cellular bioenergetic failure caused by mitochondrial dysfunction is a key process of alveolar epithelial injury during acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Prolyl hydroxylases (PHDs) act as cellular oxygen sensors, and their inhibition activates hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), resulting in enhanced cellular glycolytic activity, which could compensate for impaired mitochondrial function and protect alveolar epithelial cells from ARDS. Here, we evaluated the effects of pharmacological PHD inhibition with dimethyloxalylglycine (DMOG) on alveolar epithelial cell injury using in vitro and in vivo ARDS models.

[Bowel Perforation in a Patient with Adult T-Cell Leukemia/Lymphoma].

Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma(ATLL)can infiltrate throughout various organs and frequently involves the gastrointestinal tract. However, bowel perforation in ATLL patients is rare. Herein, we present a case of ATLL with bowel perforation.

Extraction and Molybdenum Blue-based Quantification of Total Phosphate and Polyphosphate in .

Inorganic phosphorus is a non-renewable resource and an essential element for life on Earth. Organisms such as algae, protists, and animals can store phosphate (Pi) through uptake of Pi as polyphosphate (poly-P), which is a linear polymer of orthophosphate residues linked by high-energy phosphoanhydride bonds. Here, we describe procedures for extraction of total phosphate and poly-P from cells and quantification of orthophosphate based on molybdenum blue assay.

Deciphering the relationship among phosphate dynamics, electron-dense body and lipid accumulation in the green alga Parachlorella kessleri.

Phosphorus is an essential element for life on earth and is also important for modern agriculture, which is dependent on inorganic fertilizers from phosphate rock. Polyphosphate is a biological polymer of phosphate residues, which is accumulated in organisms during the biological wastewater treatment process to enhance biological phosphorus removal. Here, we investigated the relationship between polyphosphate accumulation and electron-dense bodies in the green alga Parachlorella kessleri.

Highly efficient lipid production in the green alga Parachlorella kessleri: draft genome and transcriptome endorsed by whole-cell 3D ultrastructure.

Background: Algae have attracted attention as sustainable producers of lipid-containing biomass for food, animal feed, and for biofuels. Parachlorella kessleri, a unicellular green alga belonging to the class Trebouxiophyceae, achieves very high biomass, lipid, and starch productivity levels. However, further biotechnological exploitation has been hampered by a lack of genomic information.

Adrenaline aggravates lung injury caused by liver ischemia-reperfusion and high-tidal-volume ventilation in rats.

Background: We often administer adrenaline to improve hypotension of patients undergoing systemic inflammation that is not treated with volume resuscitation. The effects of adrenaline on injured lungs during shock status have not been elucidated. We previously demonstrated that hepatic ischemia-reperfusion followed by high-tidal-volume ventilation-induced systemic inflammation, hypotension, and lung injury in rats.

The Prevalence of Neuropathic Pain in Terminally Ill Patients With Cancer Admitted to a Palliative Care Unit: A Prospective Observational Study.

Objective: The primary aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of neuropathic pain (NP) in patients with cancer receiving palliative care.

Methods: In this prospective observational study, terminally ill patients with cancer having NP were identified by a pain management clinician using the diagnostic algorithm of NP from the International Association for the Study of Pain on the day of admission.

Results: A total of 220 patients who were hospitalized in the palliative care unit were enrolled in this study.

Edaravone prevents lung injury induced by hepatic ischemia-reperfusion.

Background: Lung injury is a major clinical concern after hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (I/R), due to the production of reactive oxygen species in the reperfused liver. We investigated the efficacy of edaravone, a potent free-radical scavenger, for attenuating lung injury after hepatic I/R.

Materials And Methods: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to sham + normal saline (NS), I/R + NS, or I/R + edaravone group.

Starch and lipid accumulation in eight strains of six Chlorella species under comparatively high light intensity and aeration culture conditions.

The microalgae family Chlorella species are known to accumulate starch and lipids. Although nitrogen or phosphorous deficiencies promote starch and lipids formation in many microalgae, these deficiencies also limit their growth and productivity. Therefore, the Chlorellaceae strains were attempted to increase starch and lipids productivity under high-light-intensity conditions (600-μmol photons m(-2)s(-1)).

Phenotypic spectrum of Parachlorella kessleri (Chlorophyta) mutants produced by heavy-ion irradiation.

Heavy-ion mutagenesis is a technology used for effective production of genetic mutants. This study demonstrates that algal breeding using a unicellular alga, Parachlorella kessleri, by heavy-ion mutagenesis can improve lipid yield in laboratory experiments. The primary screening yielded 23 mutants among which a secondary screening yielded 7 strains, which were subjected to phenotypic assays.

Image-based monitoring system for green algal Haematococcus pluvialis (Chlorophyceae) cells during culture.

The green microalga Haematococcus pluvialis accumulates the red pigment astaxanthin accompanied by morphological changes under stress conditions, including nutrient depletion, continuous light and high temperature. To investigate the physiological state of the algal cells, we developed the digital image-processing software called HaematoCalMorph. The software automatically outputs 25 single-cell measurements of cell morphology and pigments based on color, bright-field microscopic images.