Comparing the efficacy of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors among non-older and older patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Large scale randomized trials have shown that sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors can reduce cardiovascular events in patients with cardiovascular disease or with increased risks of cardiovascular disease. However, the evidence from older patients is limited. To compare the efficacy of SGLT2 inhibitors among non-older and older patients we have searched PubMed, Cochrane Central, and Embase until February 2023 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating SGLT2 inhibitors in older (age ≥ 65 years) patients with diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, and chronic heart failure.

CNT Binding Peptides Selected by the Phage Display Method.

Using the M13 phage display method, 236 amino acid sequences (peptide aptamers) that could specifically adsorb to CNTs were selected. These peptide aptamers had abundant hydrophobic amino acids and evenly dispersed charged amino acids. The hydrophobic amino acids were postulated to contribute to CNT adsorption, while the charged amino acids contribute to their aqueous solubility.

On-Demand Ligand-Base DNA Sensor with Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy.

We have developed a DNA sensor that can be finalized to detect a specific target on demand. The electrode surface was modified with 2,7-diamino-1,8-naphthyridine (DANP), a small molecule with nanomolar affinity for the cytosine bulge structure. The electrode was immersed in a solution of synthetic probe-DNA that had a cytosine bulge structure at one end and a complementary sequence to the target DNA at the other end.

Webcam Use in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit during the First Year of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate patterns of webcam use in families of patients admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) during the first year of the pandemic and characterize the families who used the technology.

Study Design: Retrospective chart review of the medical records and logins of our live webcam system was conducted for 2020.

Results: From January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020, 843 infants were admitted to the NICU, with lengths of stay range of 1 to 169 days.

Electrochemical Impedimetric Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reactions Using Anomalous Charge Transfer Enhancement.

We developed a new electrochemical impedimetric method for the real-time detection of polymerase chain reactions (PCR) based on our recent discovery that the DNA intercalator, [Ru(bpy)DPPZ], anomalously enhances charge transfer between redox mediators, K[Fe(CN)]/K[Fe(CN)], and a carbon electrode. Three mM [Fe(CN)] and 5 μM [Ru(bpy)DPPZ] were added to the PCR solution, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements were performed at each elongation heat cycle. The charge transfer resistance (Rct) was initially low due to the presence of [Ru(bpy)DPPZ] in the solution.

Anomalous Enhancement of Electrochemical Charge Transfer by a Ru Complex Ion Intercalator.

We have found that the DNA intercalator [Ru(bpy)DPPZ] (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine; DPPZ = dipyrido[3,2-:2',3'-]phenazine) causes an anomalous increase in charge transfer in electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). With a carbonaceous electrode and a 1 mM hexacyanoferrate (1 mM [Fe(CN)] and 1 mM [Fe(CN)]) mediator, we found that adding only 1 μM [Ru(bpy)DPPZ] greatly enhanced the charge transfer between the electrode and hexacyanoferrate mediator, independently of other electrolytes or buffer components. The effect started with a one millionth amount of hexacyanoferrate.

Observational study of adverse reactions related to articaine and lidocaine.

Purpose: This study determined the frequency of adverse reactions related to the administration of local dental anesthesia with 4% articaine compared with 2% lidocaine, both associated with epinephrine 1:100,000. The null hypothesis was that there is no difference between the administrations of both dental local anesthesia.

Methods: From a total of 727 patients in an emergency service, 338 and 389 patients were subjected to local anesthesia with lidocaine and articaine, respectively.

RT-Hpro-PCR: A MicroRNA Detection System Using a Primer with a DNA Tag.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short RNAs that regulate the expression of complementary messenger RNAs and are involved in numerous human diseases. However, current detection techniques lack the sensitivity to detect miRNAs of low abundance. Moreover, at a length of 20-25 bases, miRNAs are too short for the reverse transcription (RT) polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

[A Case of Long-Term Survival Following Two-Stage Surgery for Perforated Advanced Gastric Cancer Caused by Chemotherapy].

A 74-year-old man with bloody vomit was diagnosed as having clinical Stage Ⅳ advanced gastric cancer with lymph node metastasis around the abdominal aorta. Initially, for curative surgery, he was administered neoadjuvant chemotherapy. On day 32, in the second course of chemotherapy containing S-1 after 12 courses of chemotherapy containing S-1 and cisplatin, he developed pan-peritonitis owing to the perforation of gastric cancer caused by chemotherapy, and thus, we performed emergency omental implantation and peritoneal drainage.

Negative pain management index scores do not necessarily indicate inadequate pain management: a cross-sectional study.

Background: The Pain Management Index (PMI) is widely used in the assessment of pain management, and negative scores are traditionally considered to indicate inadequate pain management. However, it is not known whether negative PMI scores are always problematic.

Methods: In this prospective observational study, we examined the data of 1156 patients with cancer and pain who were hospitalized in a cancer care hospital in Japan from July 2012 to January 2015 and compared the proportion of patients with PI across various PMI scores in this cohort.

Easy and green preparation of a graphene-TiO nanohybrid using a supramolecular biomaterial consisting of artificially bifunctionalized proteins and its application for a perovskite solar cell.

We report a novel preparation method for a graphene/TiO nanohybrid using a supramolecular biomaterial (CDT1). CDT1 can offer an increase in the dispersibility of graphene in water and subsequent complexation of graphene and TiO. This nanohybrid was applied to a perovskite solar cell and success was achieved in improving its photoelectric conversion efficiency.

Biotemplated Synthesis of TiO-Coated Gold Nanowire for Perovskite Solar Cells.

Fibrous nanomaterials have been widely employed toward the improvement of photovoltaic devices. Their light-trapping capabilities, owing to their unique structure, provide a direct pathway for carrier transport. This paper reports the improvement of perovskite solar cell (PSC) performance by a well-dispersed TiO-coated gold nanowire (GNW) in a TiO cell layer.

Dispersed Gold Nanoparticle Array Produced by Apoferritins Utilizing Biomineralization and Chemical Conversion.

A new method for producing a dispersed gold nanoparticle (Au NP) array to anchor probe DNAs onto a DNA-sensing electrode has been developed. A homogenous gold sulfide (AuS) core (precursor of Au NP) was biomineralized in the cavity of a mutant apoferritin (K98E) with enhanced negative outer-surface charges. We employed a slow chemical reaction system utilizing a stable cationic gold complex.

Selection of a novel peptide aptamer with high affinity for TiO-nanoparticle through a direct electroporation with TiO-binding phage complexes.

We have developed an easy and rapid screening method of peptide aptamers with high affinity for a target material TiO using M13 phage-display and panning procedure. In a selection step, the phage-substrate complexes and Escherichia coli cells were directly applied by electric pulse for electroporation, without separating the objective phages from the TiO nanoparticles. Using this simple and rapid method, we obtained a novel peptide aptamer (named ST-1 with the sequence AYPQKFNNNFMS) with highly strong binding activity for TiO.

Nanometer scale fabrication and optical response of InGaN/GaN quantum disks.

In this work, we demonstrate homogeneously distributed In0.3Ga0.7N/GaN quantum disks (QDs), with an average diameter below 10 nm and a high density of 2.

Creating Reversible p-n Junction on Graphene through Ferritin Adsorption.

An alternative way to construct a stable p-n junction on graphene-based field effect transistor (G-FET) through physical adsorption of ferritin (spherical protein shell) is presented. The produced p-n junction on G-FET could also operate through water-gate. Native ferritins are known to be negatively charged in wet condition; however, we found that native negatively charged ferritins became positively charged after performing electron beam (EB)-irradiation.

Accuracy of using Diagnosis Procedure Combination administrative claims data for estimating the amount of opioid consumption among cancer patients in Japan.

Objective: The state of opioid consumption among cancer patients has never been comprehensively investigated in Japan. The Diagnosis Procedure Combination claims data may be used to measure and monitor opioid consumption among cancer patients, but the accuracy of using the Diagnosis Procedure Combination data for this purpose has never been tested.

Methods: We aimed to ascertain the accuracy of using the Diagnosis Procedure Combination claims data for estimating total opioid analgesic consumption by cancer patients compared with electronic medical records at Aomori Prefectural Central Hospital.

Thermo-stable carbon nanotube-TiO₂ nanocompsite as electron highways in dye-sensitized solar cell produced by bio-nano-process.

We produced a thermostable TiO2-(anatase)-coated multi-walled-carbon-nanotube (MWNT) nanocomposite for use in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) using biological supuramolecules as catalysts. We synthesized two different sizes of iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) and arrayed the NPs on a silicon substrate utilizing two kinds of genetically modified cage-shaped proteins with silicon-binding peptide aptamers on their outer surfaces. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) with the vapor-liquid-solid phase (VLS) method was applied to the substrate, and thermostable MWNTs with a diameter of 6 ± 1 nm were produced.

Floating gate memory with charge storage dots array formed by Dps protein modified with site-specific binding peptides.

We report a nanodot (ND) floating gate memory (NFGM) with a high-density ND array formed by a biological nano process. We utilized two kinds of cage-shaped proteins displaying SiO2 binding peptide (minTBP-1) on their outer surfaces: ferritin and Dps, which accommodate cobalt oxide NDs in their cavities. The diameters of the cobalt NDs were regulated by the cavity sizes of the proteins.

Light-emitting devices based on top-down fabricated GaAs quantum nanodisks.

Quantum dots photonic devices based on the III-V compound semiconductor technology offer low power consumption, temperature stability, and high-speed modulation. We fabricated GaAs nanodisks (NDs) of sub-20-nm diameters by a top-down process using a biotemplate and neutral beam etching (NBE). The GaAs NDs were embedded in an AlGaAs barrier regrown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE).

Biological construction of single-walled carbon nanotube electron transfer pathways in dye-sensitized solar cells.

We designed and mass-produced a versatile protein supramolecule that can be used to manufacture a highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). Twelve single-walled carbon-nanotube (SWNT)-binding and titanium-mineralizing peptides were genetically integrated on a cage-shaped dodecamer protein (CDT1). A process involving simple mixing of highly conductive SWNTs with CDT1 followed by TiO2 biomineralization produces a high surface-area/weight TiO2 -(anatase)-coated intact SWNT nanocomposite under environmentally friendly conditions.

Direct evidence of spatially selective iron mineralization using an immobilized ferritin protein cage.

(Apo)ferritins are cage-shaped proteins which have recently received a great deal of attention because the inner cavity of the protein shell can be used as a size-restricted reaction field for the synthesis of nanomaterials. The biomineralization behavior and inorganic nanoparticle (NP) synthesis mechanism of (apo)ferritin in solution systems have been studied but the mineralization behavior of (apo)ferritin on the substrates has not yet been well studied. Here, we conducted quantitative and kinetic analyses of the mineralization behavior of immobilized (apo)ferritin on a polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) using quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques.

Controlled charged amino acids of Ti-binding peptide for surfactant-free selective adsorption.

The adsorption mechanism of titanium-binding peptide (TBP) on metal oxide substrates was investigated by evaluating the adsorption behavior of ferritins with various alanine-substituted TBPs. Results revealed that (a) a positively charged amino acid, lysine (K) or arginine (R), in TBP can anchor ferritin to negative zeta-potential substrates, (b) the adsorption force of K is stronger than R, and (c) local electrostatic interactions and flexibility of TBP directly affect adsorption. Based on these findings, selective ferritin adsorption on SiO2 with TiOX patterned surfaces in a surfactant-free condition was demonstrated.

Solid-phase PEGylation of an immobilized protein cage on polyelectrolyte multilayer.

We used a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) to quantitatively characterize solid-phase poly(ethylene glycol) modification (PEGylation) of apoferritin that was electrostatically immobilized on the surface of a polyelectrolyte multilayer. The solid-phase PEGylation processes were monitored by analyzing QCM frequency shifts, which showed that the PEG chains were covalently introduced onto the surface of the immobilized apoferritin. We investigated the effect of PEG concentration, PEG molecular weight, and two-dimensional coverage of the immobilized apoferritin on the solid-phase PEGylation process in addition to the surface properties of the PEGylated apoferritin film, such as wettability and protein adsorption capacity.

Effect of PEGylation on controllably spaced adsorption of ferritin molecules.

The interparticle distance between nanoparticles (NPs) dispersed on on SiO2 was shown to be controlled by PEGylation. Ferritins with nanoparticle cores were prepared and PEGylated with poly(ethylene glycol)s (PEGs) of two different molecular weights. It was shown that the thickness of the PEG layer on the ferritin surface determines the interparticle distance under short Debye lengths.