Decreased rate of blood donors with high ABO antibody titers in Japan and the underlying factors: Comparisons between 2010 and 2021.

Background And Objectives: Previously (2007), it was reported that ABO antibody titers in Japanese blood donors had decreased significantly compared to 20 years before. Here we evaluated whether further decrease of antibody titers had occurred in recent years, and the potential factors associated with changes in antibody titers.

Materials And Methods: Serum/plasma from random blood donors in 2010 and 2021 (2010: 3369, 2021: 5796 donors) was classified into low, middle, and high ABO antibody titers according to the reactivity of diluted serum/plasma (2.

DSE-FRET: A new anticancer drug screening assay for DNA binding proteins.

Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) is a key regulator of cancer progression and the inflammatory effects of disease. To identify inhibitors of DNA binding to NF-κB, we developed a new homogeneous method for detection of sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins. This method, which we refer to as DSE-FRET, is based on two phenomena: protein-dependent blocking of spontaneous DNA strand exchange (DSE) between partially double-stranded DNA probes, and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET).

Down-regulation of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase 2 by androgen deprivation induces castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Background: Conversion into androgen-hypersensitive state and adaptation to the low concentration of androgen during ADT cause relapse of prostate cancer (PCa). It is important to identify differentially expressed genes between PCa and normal prostate tissues and to reveal the function of these genes that are involved in progression of PCa.

Methods: We performed cDNA microarray analysis to identify differentially expressed genes, calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase 2 (CAMKK2).

Rapid detection of epidermal growth factor receptor mutations in lung cancer by the SMart-Amplification Process.

Purpose: A positive response to gefitinib in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been correlated to mutations in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene. Previous reports have been based mainly on diagnostic screening by sequencing. However, sequencing is a time-consuming and complicated procedure, not suitable for routine clinical use.

Rapid SNP diagnostics using asymmetric isothermal amplification and a new mismatch-suppression technology.

We developed a rapid single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection system named smart amplification process version 2 (SMAP 2). Because DNA amplification only occurred with a perfect primer match, amplification alone was sufficient to identify the target allele. To achieve the requisite fidelity to support this claim, we used two new and complementary approaches to suppress exponential background DNA amplification that resulted from mispriming events.

[A renocolic fistula due to colonic diverticulitis associated with polycystic kidney].

Renocolic fistulae caused by colonic diverticulitis are rare. We present a case of renocolic fistula caused by colonic diverticulitis associated with polycystic kidney. A 51-year-old male with polycystic kidney on hemodialysis presented with a lasting fever and left lower abdominal pain.