Highly sensitive two-dimensional profiling of N-linked glycans by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography and dual stacking capillary gel electrophoresis.

Background: N-Glycosylation is one of the most important post-translational modifications in proteins. As the N-glycan profiles in biological samples are diverse and change according to the pathological condition, various profiling methods have been developed, such as liquid chromatography (LC), capillary electrophoresis (CE), and mass spectrometry. However, conventional analytical methods have limitations in sensitivity and/or resolution, hindering the discovery of minor but specific N-glycans that are important both in the basic glycobiology research and in the medical application as biomarkers.

[Endovascular Repair of Aortic Injury Caused by Esophageal Foreign Body:Report of a Case].

A 51-year-old man visited to our hospital because of chest discomfort and hematemesis. He was diagnosed with Mallory-Weiss syndrome and followed in outpatient clinic. One week later, he visited our hospital again for fever and discomfort.

Investigation of Medical Accidents for the Development of Alert System to Reduce Alert Fatigue.

Alert fatigue, a decrease in sensitivity to alerts, is a problem in the medical field. In this study, a survey was conducted on medical accidents in order to develop an alert that could be expected to reduce alert fatigue. As a result, medical accidents related to drugs are common worldwide, and the need for an alert system that can detect the implementation of medical treatment was found.

Effects of Synthetic Tetronamides and Methylated Denigrins on Bacterial Quorum Sensing and Biofilm Formation.

Detrimental biofilms of bacterial pathogens cause chronic infections with a high-level tolerance to antibiotics. To identify new control agents, we synthesized and tested a total of 14 tetronamides (including 5 new compounds) and 6 denigrin intermediates on the model species . At a concentration of 50 μg/mL, two tetronamides and two methylated denigrins exhibited significant inhibitory effects against biofilm formation of RP437, e.

Water-Soluble Ionic Metal-Organic Polyhedra as a Versatile Platform for Enzyme Bio-immobilization.

Metal-organic polyhedra (MOPs) can act as elementary structural units for the design of modular porous materials; however, their association with biological systems remains greatly restricted by their typically low stabilities and solubilities in water. Herein, we describe the preparation of novel MOPs bearing either anionic or cationic groups and exhibiting a high affinity for proteins. Simple mixing of the protein bovine serum albumin () and ionic MOP aqueous solutions resulted in the spontaneous formation of MOP-protein assemblies, in a colloidal state or as solid precipitates depending on the initial mixing ratio.

Histological, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural features of polyglucosan bodies in uterine smooth muscle of pet rabbits (Oryctolaguscuniculus).

We document the frequency and morphological and immunohistochemical features of inclusion bodies in uterine smooth muscle cells in 56 (76%) of 74 investigated pet rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Inclusion bodies began to appear at the age of 2 years and their frequency increased with age (P = 0.047, r = 0.

Compositional Analysis and Potent Insecticidal Activity of Supercritical CO Fluid Extracts of L. Leaves.

To mitigate potentially severe food shortages due to the exponential growth of the global population, it is of paramount importance to improve the yield and quality of globally harvested food crops. As pest control contributes to both these aspects, the development of safe and effective pesticides is one of the main strategies pursued in this direction in the context of agricultural chemistry. During our investigation of natural pesticides, a supercritical CO fluid extract of L.

Treatment of secondary mitral regurgitation by transcatheter edge-to-edge repair using MitraClip.

Transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) is becoming the standard invasive treatment for ventricular functional mitral regurgitation (MR). It is necessary to determine the severity of MR before treatment with MitraClip; however, the severity of secondary MR is usually underestimated compared with that of primary MR and varies temporally. Therefore, to accurately determine the severity of MR, it is important to correctly use the algorithm of the guidelines for valvular heart disease and aggressively perform stress echocardiography.

Preparation of Nitrogen Analogues of Ceramide and Studies of Their Aggregation in Sphingomyelin Bilayers.

Ceramides can regulate biological processes probably through the formation of laterally segregated and highly packed ceramide-rich domains in lipid bilayers. In the course of preparation of its analogues, we found that a hydrogen-bond-competent functional group in the C1 position is necessary to form ceramide-rich domains in lipid bilayers [Matsufuji; 2018]. Hence, in the present study, we newly synthesized three ceramide analogues: CerN, CerNH, and CerNHAc, in which the 1-OH group of ceramide is substituted with a nitrogen functionality.

Determining the factors affecting serum presepsin level and its diagnostic utility: A cross-sectional study.

Introduction: This study aimed to identify factors affecting presepsin levels and to determine their diagnostic utility.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at an outpatient clinic and emergency department at an acute care hospital in Japan between January 2015 and December 2017. We enrolled 1,840 consecutive outpatients with at least one measurement of serum presepsin, who were suspected of having bacterial infection.

Open Surgical Repair for a Giant Common Hepatic Artery Aneurysm with Difficulty in Proximal Arterial Clamping: A Case Report.

Hepatic artery aneurysm has been considered as a rare, life-threatening disease. In this study, we report on a patient requiring surgical treatment for a giant hepatic artery aneurysm by aneurysmectomy without revascularization. A 70-year-old woman who complained of epigastric pain was referred to our hospital.

Rhodium(III)-Catalyzed C-H/N-H Alkyne Annulation of Nonsymmetric 2-Aryl (Benz)imidazole Derivatives: Photophysical and Mechanistic Insights.

Rhodium(III) catalysis enabled C-H/N-H alkyne annulation of nonsymmetric imidazole derivatives. This study encompasses the synthesis of imidazoles from a naturally occurring quinoidal compound and their use for the preparation of rigid π-extended imidazole derivatives with outstanding fluorescence. Our study also brings to light the photophysical aspects and the mechanism of the reaction studied via computational calculations.

Bisphenol AF: Halogen bonding effect is a major driving force for the dual ERα-agonist and ERβ-antagonist activities.

17β-Estradiol (E2) is a natural steroid ligand for the structurally and physiologically independent estrogen receptors (ERs) ERα and ERβ. We recently observed that CF-containing bisphenol AF (BPAF) works as an agonist for ERα but as an antagonist for ERβ. Similar results were also observed for the CCl-containing bisphenol designated as HPTE.

Analysis of the Stay Time of Patients in Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center (GHMC) Using RFID Technology.

We observed the stay time of patients and staff in Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center. The stay time of patients with the prostatic cancer and the facing time with radiotherapy technicians in treatment rooms were significantly reduced as times goes by. This decreasing in time has an implication in scheduling algorithm development: for patients.

Imaging of Tc-DMSA and F-FDG in humans using a Si/CdTe Compton camera.

The Compton camera can simultaneously acquire images of multiple isotopes injected in a body; therefore, it has the potential to introduce a new subfield in the field of biomedical imaging applications. The objective of this study is to assess the ability of a prototype semiconductor-based silicon/cadmium telluride (Si/CdTe) Compton camera to simultaneously image the distributions of technetium (Tc)-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) (141 keV emission) and F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) (511 keV emission) injected into a human volunteer. Tc-DMSA and F-FDG were injected intravenously into a 25-year-old male volunteer.

1,2- trans Glycosylation via Neighboring Group Participation of 2- O-Alkoxymethyl Groups: Application to One-Pot Oligosaccharide Synthesis.

The use of 2- O-alkoxymethyl groups as effective stereodirecting substituents for the construction of 1,2- trans glycosidic linkages is reported. The observed stereoselectivity arises from the intramolecular formation of a five-membered cyclic architecture between the 2- O-alkoxymethyl substituent and the oxocarbenium ion, which provides the expected facial selectivity. Furthermore, the observed stereocontrol and the extremely high reactivity of 2- O-alkoxymethyl-protected donors allowed development of a one-pot sequential glycosylation strategy that should become a powerful tool for the assembly of oligosaccharides.

Annihilation gamma imaging for carbon ion beam range monitoring using Si/CdTe Compton camera.

In this study, we performed on-beam monitoring of 511 keV annihilation gamma emissions using a Compton camera. Beam monitoring experiments were conducted using carbon ion beams of 290 MeV/u irradiated on a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) phantom. The intensity of the beams was 3  ×  10 particles per pulse, with 20 pulses per minute.

MRI response of obturator internus muscle to carbon-ion dose in prostate cancer treatment.

It is important to confirm the dose distribution and its biophysiological response in patients subjected to carbon-ion radiotherapy (CIRT) by using medical imaging methods. In this study, the correlation between the signal intensity changes of muscles observed in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after CIRT and planned dose distribution was evaluated. Seven patients were arbitrarily selected from among localized prostate cancer patients on whom CIRT was performed in our facilities in 2010.

In vivo simultaneous imaging with Tc and F using a Compton camera.

We have been developing a medical imaging technique using a Compton camera. This study evaluates the feasibility of clear imaging with Tc and F simultaneously, and demonstrates in vivo imaging with Tc and/or F. We used a Compton camera with silicon and cadmium telluride (Si/CdTe) semiconductors.

Low-Voltage, Flexible, and Self-Encapsulated Ultracompact Organic Thin-Film Transistors Based on Nanomembranes.

Organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) are an ever-growing subject of research, powering recent technologies such as flexible and wearable electronics. Currently, many studies are being carried out to push forward the state-of-the-art OTFT technology to achieve characteristics that include high carrier mobility, low power consumption, flexibility, and the ability to operate under harsh conditions. Here, we tackle this task by proposing a novel OTFT architecture exploring the so-called rolled-up nanomembrane technology to fabricate low-voltage (<2 V), ultracompact OTFTs.

Learning Curve for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Under a Controlled Introduction System - Initial Analysis of a Japanese Nationwide Registry.

Background: The introduction of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) into Japan was strictly controlled to optimize patient outcomes. The goal of this study was to assess if increasing experience during the introduction of this procedure was associated with outcomes.

Methods and results: The initial 1,752 patients registered in the Japanese national TAVI registry were included in the study.

Type 1a endoleak following Zone 1 and Zone 2 thoracic endovascular aortic repair: effect of bird-beak configuration.

Objectives: Type 1a endoleak is one of the most severe complications after thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR), because it carries the risk of aortic rupture. The association between bird-beak configuration and Type 1a endoleak remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to analyse the predictors of Type 1a endoleak following Zone 1 and Zone 2 TEVAR, with a particular focus on the effect of bird-beak configuration.