Relationship between Wearing a Lead Apron and Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Questionnaire Survey of Japanese Radiological Technologists.

The purpose of this study was to conduct a self-reported questionnaire survey of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among Japanese radiological technologists (RTs) and to report on the relationship between wearing a lead apron and WMSDs. Between February and April of 2021, RTs in Okayama Prefecture, Japan, were surveyed by mail and through a website. Information on individual characteristics, physical factors at work, and the presence of WMSDs were collected.

The Immunological Impact of Chemotherapy on the Tumor Microenvironment of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

　Anticancer drugs induce cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis not only in tumor cells, but also in immune cells. However, many preclinical and clinical findings show that some chemotherapeutic agents can improve the antitumor efficacy of immunotherapy. We immunohistochemically analyzed the degree of immune cell infiltration and the relevance of programmed cell death 1 ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression in surgically resected oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) specimens from patients who had undergone pretreatment with certain chemotherapies and other patients without pretreatment.

Adsorption and removal of strontium in aqueous solution by synthetic hydroxyapatite.

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) is a main mineral constituent of bone and tooth and has an outstanding biocompatibility. HAP is a possible sorbent for heavy metals in wastewater due to its high adsorption capacity and low water solubility. We developed a removal system of Sr from aqueous solution by HAP column procedure.

Estimation of soil-to-plant transfer factors of radiocesium in 99 wild plant species grown in arable lands 1 year after the Fukushima 1 Nuclear Power Plant accident.

One year after the deposition of radionuclides from the Fukushima 1 Nuclear Power Plant (A formal name is Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station) in March 2011, radiocesium (¹³⁴Cs, ¹³⁷Cs) concentrations ([Cs]) were comprehensively investigated in the wild plants of 99 species most of which were annual or summer green perennial herbs and started to grow from April 2012 at the heavily contaminated fields of paddy (three study sites) and upland (one study site) in Fukushima Prefecture. The survey was conducted three times (April, July and October) in the year. In each site, soils (soil cores of 5-cm depth) and plants (aerial shoots) were collected for determination of [Cs] on a dry weight basis, and then the transfer factor (TF) of radiocesium from soil to plant ([Cs]plant/[Cs]soil) was estimated in each species.

A purification system for Cu produced by a biomedical cyclotron for antibody PET imaging.

Ion exchange is a simple and efficient method for separating no-carrier-added Cu from an irradiated Ni target. We developed a semi-automated two-round Cu separation system equipped with a strong-base anion exchange resin column. We first verified the efficiency of the system using a non-radioactive substitute consisting of 25 mg of Ni and 127 ng of Cu, and confirmed that Cu was completely eluted at the second round of the separation step.

Serological identification of Tektin5 as a cancer/testis antigen and its immunogenicity.

Background: Identification of new cancer antigens is necessary for the efficient diagnosis and immunotherapy. A variety of tumor antigens have been identified by several methodologies. Among those antigens, cancer/testis (CT) antigens have became promising targets.

An assessment of radioactivity levels of 210Pb and 40K in tobacco and radiation exposure from smoking.

No research has been conducted on the radiation influence of tobacco on the alimentary system, although there have been some previous works on the respiratory system. In this study, the radioactive concentrations of 210Pb and 40K in a cigarette sample were first measured. The transfer factors of the nuclides from tobacco into smoke and solution (saliva and/or alcohol) were then examined.

Targeting KRAS mutation-bearing lung cancer in vivo by pulmonary surfactant-adenovirus-mediated gene transfer.

Pulmonary surfactant has been used as a carrier to deliver a therapeutic virus to dysfunctional lung cells that reside within an intricate lung structure. To investigate whether pulmonary surfactant enhances the efficacy of intratracheal instillation of a therapeutic virus to target KRAS mutation-bearing lung cancer in vivo, we developed a recombinant adenovirus that induces cell death only in lung cancer cells and injected the adenovirus into a mouse model of KRAS mutation-positive lung cancer intratracheally with and without surfactant. A therapeutic adenovirus that induces cell death only in lung cancer cells was constructed by combining a cancer-specific human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) promoter fused to CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha (CEBPα) with a modified lung-specific Clara cell-specific 10-kDa protein (CC10) promoter fused to cytotoxic adenovirus type 5 early region 1A (E1A).

Isolation and characterization of human lung cancer antigens by serological screening with autologous antibodies.

Serological analysis of a recombinant cDNA expression library (SEREX) derived from two lung adenocarcinoma cancer cell lines using autologous sera led to the isolation of 41 positive cDNA clones comprising 28 different antigens. They coded for a variety of nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins. Among the antigens, nucleoporin 107 (NUP107) was isolated most frequently (5 of 41 clones).

Stable expression of the chlorocatechol dioxygenase gene from Ralstonia eutropha NH9 in hybrid poplar cells.

The cbnA gene encoding chlorocatechol dioxygenase from the soil bacterium Ralstonia eutropha NH9 under the control of a modified cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter was introduced into a hybrid poplar (Populus tremula x P. tremuloides). Integration of the cbnA gene in transgenic poplar was confirmed by PCR and genomic Southern blot analysis.

Identification of CCDC62-2 as a novel cancer/testis antigen and its immunogenicity.

Cancer/testis (CT) antigens are expressed in normal germ line tissues and various cancers. They are considered promising target molecules for immunotherapy for patients with various cancers. To identify CT antigens, we performed serological identification of antigens by recombinant expression cloning.

Identification of a CD4 T-cell epitope in tumor rejection antigen RLakt on BALB/c radiation-leukemia RL male 1.

We have previously shown that the RLakt antigen was predominantly recognized by CD8 cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) in RL male 1-bearing or -rejected syngeneic BALB/c mice. CD8 CTL were directed to the octamer pRL1a peptide IPGLPLSL of which recognition was H-2L(d)-restricted. In this study, we identified a CD4 T-cell epitope peptide in the tumor rejection antigen RLakt on BALB/c radiation-leukemia RL male 1.

OY-TES-1 expression and serum immunoreactivity in epithelial ovarian cancer.

OY-TES-1 is a novel target that belongs to the family of 'cancer/testis' (CT) antigens. Our goal was to examine the expression and immunogenicity of OY-TES-1 in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) to determine its potential as a target for vaccine therapy. OY-TES-1 expression was determined by one-step reverse transcriptase PCR on 100 EOC samples, 5 EOC cell lines, and a panel of normal tissues.

Expression and immunogenicity of NY-ESO-1 in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background And Aim: The present study was designed to investigate the expression of and humoral response against NY-ESO-1 in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and to analyze the relationship between expression of NY-ESO-1 mRNA and clinicopathological features.

Methods: NY-ESO-1 mRNA and protein expression in surgically resected hepatocellular carcinoma specimens, adjacent non-cancerous liver and non-tumor bearing liver were examined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemical staining using a monoclonal antibody against NY-ESO-1 (ES121), respectively. The antibody response to NY-ESO-1 was examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using recombinant NY-ESO-1 protein.

Identification of an HLA-A24-restricted OY-TES-1 epitope recognized by cytotoxic T-cells.

OY-TES-1 was identified as a human homologue of the mouse, guinea pig, and pig proacrosin binding protein sp32 precursor. Differential expression levels of OY-TES-1 mRNA between testis and other normal tissues, and its expression in cancers indicated that OY-TES-1 would be classified as a cancer/testis antigen and considered to be a candidate of target antigen for cancer immunotherapy. In this study, we showed identification of HLA-A24-binding OY-TES-1 peptide, TES(401-409) (KTPFVSPLL) recognized by CD8 T-cells.

Identification of glioma-specific RFX4-E and -F isoforms and humoral immune response in patients.

For regulatory factor X4 (RFX4), two alternatively spliced variants, RFX4-A and -B, were reported in the testis. In this study, we identified transcript variants RFX4-C, -D, -E, and -F, and demonstrated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) that RFX4-A, -B and -C mRNAs were expressed only in the testis, and RFX4-D mRNA was expressed only in normal brain tissues. In tumors, RFX4-E and -F in addition to RFX4-D mRNA were expressed in gliomas by rapid amplification of cDNA ends and RT-PCR analyses.

Promoter of Arabidopsis thaliana phosphate transporter gene drives root-specific expression of transgene in rice.

The PHT1 promoter::GUS fusion gene was constructed and introduced into Arabidopsis and rice by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Strong beta-glucuronidase (GUS) activity was detected in roots and showed phosphate starvation induction both in Arabidopsis and rice. In contrast, GUS activity in aerial tissues such as those of the leaf and stem was low.

XAGE-1 expression in non-small cell lung cancer and antibody response in patients.

Purpose: XAGE-1 was originally identified by the search for PAGE/GAGE-related genes using expressed sequence tag database and was shown to exhibit characteristics of cancer/testis-like antigens. Four transcript variants XAGE-1a, XAGE-1b, XAGE-1c, and XAGE-1d have been identified thus far. We recently identified XAGE-1b as a dominant antigen recognized by sera from lung adenocarcinoma patients.

Functional promoter upstream p53 regulatory sequence of IGFBP3 that is silenced by tumor specific methylation.

Background: Insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)-3 functions as a carrier of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) in circulation and a mediator of the growth suppression signal in cells. There are two reported p53 regulatory regions in the IGFBP3 gene; one upstream of the promoter and one intronic. We previously reported a hot spot of promoter hypermethylation of IGFBP-3 in human hepatocellular carcinomas and derivative cell lines.

Quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis of NY-ESO-1 and LAGE-1a mRNA expression in normal tissues and tumors, and correlation of the protein expression with the mRNA copy number.

We investigated NY-ESO-1 and LAGE-1a mRNA expression in normal tissues and various types of cancer by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. In addition to their high expression in the testis, we observed a low expression of NY-ESO-1 mRNA in the placenta, pancreas and liver, and no expression in 12 other normal tissues. We also observed a low expression of LAGE-1a mRNA in the placenta and ovary, and marginal expression in 13 other normal tissues.

NY-ESO-1 expression and immunogenicity in esophageal cancer.

Purpose: Although NY-ESO-1 was isolated from an esophageal carcinoma patient, its expression in this type of cancer and its immunogenicity in esophageal cancer patients have not yet been fully elucidated. We report here the frequency of NY-ESO-1 mRNA and protein expression in esophageal cancer and the presence of NY-ESO-1-specific immune response in patients.

Experimental Design: One hundred twenty three esophageal squamous cell carcinoma specimens were analyzed for the expression of NY-ESO-1 mRNA by conventional and real-time reverse transcription-PCR and the expression of protein by immunohistochemistry and Western blot.

Serological identification of endothelial antigens predominantly recognized in Kawasaki disease patients by recombinant expression cloning.

We showed IgG immune response against endothelial antigens in sera obtained from convalescent Kawasaki disease (KD) patients after recovery from the disease during the follow-up period using serological analysis of recombinant cDNA expression library (SEREX) methodology. We identified 46 antigens represented by 69 clones by immunoscreening of a cDNA expression library from tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) treated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) with sera from 4 KD patients. They included ubiquitin pathway proteins, transcriptional factors, signal transduction molecules, metabolic enzymes, cytoskeletal proteins, an adhesion molecule, and a cell cycle protein.

Over-expression of the testis-specific gene TSGA10 in cancers and its immunogenicity.

The TSGA10 gene was originally isolated in normal testis by differential mRNA display. TSGA10 is located on chromosome 2q11.2 and consists of 19 exons extending over 3 kb.

NY-ESO-1 expression and immunogenicity in malignant and benign breast tumors.

NY-ESO-1 is a cancer/testis antigen expressed in normal adult tissues solely in the testicular germ cells of normal adults and in various cancers. It induces specific humoral and cellular immunity in patients with NY-ESO-1-expressing cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of NY-ESO-1 mRNA and protein expression in malignant and benign breast tumors.

Inhibition of RL male 1 tumor growth in BALB/c mice by introduction of the RLakt gene coding for antigen recognized by cytotoxic T-lymphocytes and the GM-CSF gene by in vivo electroporation.

A DNA vaccine for inducing a tumor immune response was investigated using a well-characterized murine model tumor antigen. We demonstrated that in vivo electroporation augmented the induction of IFNgamma enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) generation against pRL1a peptide in BALB/c spleen cells upon immunization with RLakt plasmid. Immunization without in vivo electroporation resulted in only a marginal induction of IFNgamma ELISPOT and CTL generation.