An Automated Micro-Total Immunoassay System for Measuring Cancer-Associated α2,3-linked Sialyl N-Glycan-Carrying Prostate-Specific Antigen May Improve the Accuracy of Prostate Cancer Diagnosis.

The low specificity of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) for early detection of prostate cancer (PCa) is a major issue worldwide. The aim of this study to examine whether the serum PCa-associated α2,3-linked sialyl -glycan-carrying PSA (S2,3PSA) ratio measured by automated micro-total immunoassay systems (μTAS system) can be applied as a diagnostic marker of PCa. The μTAS system can utilize affinity-based separation involving noncovalent interaction between the immunocomplex of S2,3PSA and lectin to simultaneously determine concentrations of free PSA and S2,3PSA.

[Development and Clinical Application of Glycan-Targeted Biomarkers for Prostate Cancer].

Prostate cancer (PCa) is now the most common male malignant tumor in both Japan and Western countries. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) has been widely used for the early detection of PCa; however, it is not an ideal biomarker due to its low specificity. Aberrant glycosylation is closely associated with malignant transformation and cancer progression.

Differential detection of KRAS mutations in codons 12 and 13 with a modified loop-hybrid (LH) mobility shift assay using an insert-type LH-generator.

Background: The loop-hybrid mobility shift assay (LH-MSA) was previously developed for the rapid detection of the EGFR mutation L858R for predicting clinical responses to gefitinib in lung cancer. Recently, clinical importance of determining KRAS mutations has been demonstrated in colorectal tumors as tumors harboring mutated KRAS genes were not responsive to therapy with EGFR-targeted antibodies such as cetuximab.

Methods: We developed a new version of the LH-MSA using an insert-type LH generator that was capable of detecting all 12 KRAS mutations in codons 12 and 13.

Simple and precise detection of UGT1A1 polymorphisms with a modified loop-hybrid mobility shift assay using Cy5-labeled loop probes.

Background: Irinotecan, an inhibitor of topoisomerase I, has been widely used as an important anti-cancer therapeutic drug. Deleterious effects of the drug in hypersensitive patients are known to be associated with genetic polymorphisms of the UGT1A1 gene, namely the polymorphic variants, *28 and *6.

Methods: A modified form of loop-hybrid mobility shift assay using a Cy5-tagged loop-hybrid probe was proposed as a precise and easy method of determining TA repeat polymorphisms at the *28 locus.

ZnO nanopowder induced light scattering for improved visualization of emission sites in carbon nanotube films and arrays.

We report on ZnO nanopowder induced light scattering for improved visualization of emission sites in carbon nanotube films and arrays. We observed a significant reduction of the internal multiple light scattering phenomena, which are characteristic for ZnO micropowders. The microsized grains of the commercially available ZnO:Zn (P 15) were reduced to the nanometre scale by pulsed laser ablation at an oxygen ambient pressure of 10 kPa.

Use of transcriptional sequencing in difficult to read areas of the genome.

In genome and cDNA sequencing projects, current cycle sequencing often encounters difficult-to-sequence templates which have unique secondary structures due to GC-rich composition or repeated regions. Due to the formation of stable secondary structures, remarkable decreases in fluorescent signals are observed in cycle sequencing reactions. It is not easy to determine the nucleotide sequences of these regions.