Selective adsorption of unmethylated DNA on ZnO nanowires for separation of methylated DNA.

DNA methylation is a crucial epigenetic modification used as a biomarker for early cancer progression. However, existing methods for DNA methylation analysis are complex, time-consuming, and prone to DNA degradation. This work demonstrates selective capture of unmethylated DNAs using ZnO nanowires without chemical or biological modifications, thereby concentrating methylated DNA, particularly those with high methylation levels that can predict cancer risk.

Dominant Expression of Chromogranin B in Pituitary Corticotrophs and Its Putative Role in Interaction With Secretogranin III.

SummaryPrevious studies have suggested that chromogranin A (CgA) is a partner molecule of secretogranin III (SgIII). In mouse pituitary corticotroph-derived AtT-20 cells, SgIII plays a role in sorting CgA/hormone aggregates into secretory granules (SGs). Although CgA expression is equivocal, CgB is clearly detectable in the rat pituitary corticotrophs.

Efficacy of pembrolizumab plus lenvatinib as first-line treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma with multiple brain metastases.

Introduction: Patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma have a poor prognosis and its specific pathogenesis remains unelucidated.

Case Presentation: At 78 years of age, a Japanese male patient was diagnosed with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (cT3N2M1 stage) and multiple brain metastases that were responsive to stereotactic radiation therapy followed by systemic combination induction therapy of pembrolizumab plus lenvatinib. Adverse events, including grade 3 hypertension, grade 2 eruption, and elevated grade 2 fever, were controlled by a dose reduction or suspension of drugs.

Stone at the same location for 2 months predicts impacted stones and stone-free status after shock wave lithotripsy for ureteral stones: A Funabashi clinic expert study.

Objectives: To evaluate the success rate of shock wave lithotripsy and identify predictors of stone-free status after shock wave lithotripsy for ureteral stones, focusing on the impact of stones remaining in the same location for 2 months (SSL2).

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 501 patients with ureteral stones treated with shock wave lithotripsy by expert surgeons (each with over 1000 shock wave lithotripsy operations) at a single Japanese institution in 2020. Logistic regression analysis identified predictors of stone-free status, including stone length, skin-to-stone distance, stone density (Hounsfield Unit), Hounsfield Unit above/below the stone, stone position, and duration of stone at the same location (SSL2).

Rapid and Deep Prostate-Specific Antigen Decline is a Prognostic Marker in Metastatic Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer: A Real-World Multi-Intuitional Analysis.

Background: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) kinetics has been investigated as a prognostic marker in post hoc analyses of clinical trials. This study validated the prognostic value of rapid and deep PSA decline in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) using real-world data.

Methods: In total, 1296 patients with mHSPC were retrospectively reviewed.

Prolyl hydroxylase domain inhibitors prevent kidney crystal formation by suppressing inflammation.

The early stages of kidney crystal formation involve inflammation and hypoxia-induced cell injury; however, the role of the hypoxic response in kidney crystal formation remains unclear. This study investigated the effects of a prolyl hydroxylase domain inhibitor (roxadustat) on renal calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystal formation through in vitro and in vivo approaches. In the in vitro experiment, murine renal tubular cells (RTCs) were exposed to varying roxadustat concentrations and CaOx crystals.

Dearomative Transformation of Pyridin-3-ols into 2,3,6,7-Tetrahydro-1-2,6-methanobenzo[]azonin-12-ones via Oxidopyridinium/-Quinodimethane (5 + 4) Cycloaddition.

We report the dearomative transformation of pyridin-3-ols via oxidopyridinium (5 + 4) cycloaddition with -quinodimethanes, leading to 2,3,6,7-tetrahydro-1-2,6-methanobenzo[]azonin-12-ones. The chemoselective derivatization of the obtained cycloadduct was also investigated to demonstrate the synthetic potential of the obtained cycloadduct.

[Multidisciplinary treatment for metastasis in left perinephric space after the resection of left renal metastasis in a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma:a case report].

A woman in her 60s with cirrhosis and hepatitis C virus with sustained virologic response underwent multiple local treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) starting in April 20xx. Computed tomography in December 20xx+6 revealed HCC recurrence and mass in left kidney. Pathologic evaluation after partial nephrectomy led to the diagnosis of renal metastasis of HCC, and treatment with atezolizumab and bevacizumab was initiated.

Magnetic assembly of microwires on a flexible substrate for minimally invasive electrophysiological recording.

Understanding the neural system in the brain requires the detection of signals from the tissue. Microscale electrodes enable high spatiotemporal neural recording, whereas traditional microelectrodes cause material and geometry mismatches between the electrode and the tissue, leading to injury and signal loss during recording. In this study, we propose a fabrication technique that uses magnetic force to facilitate assembly of vertical microscale wire-electrodes on a flexible substrate.

Edible liquid marbles stabilized with millimeter-sized spherical particles.

Liquid marbles (LMs) are millimeter-sized liquid droplets in a gaseous phase coated with solid particles. The LM technology allows liquid droplets to be treated as solid particles. As an LM stabilizer, edible particles are of particular interest, especially for applications in the food industry.

Page kidney in a child with ureteropelvic junction obstruction of lower moiety in a partial duplex system.

Reports of hydronephrosis-induced hypertension in pediatric patients are rare. A 7-year-old girl with hypertension was referred to our hospital with left hydronephrosis caused by ureteropelvic junction obstruction of the lower moiety in a partial duplex system. Because the lower moiety was almost nonfunctional, a laparoscopic heminephrectomy was performed.

Associations of menopausal symptoms with job-related stress and social support in Japanese school teachers.

Objectives: Being a school teacher is highly stressful. This study aimed to clarify the prevalence of menopausal symptoms and explore the association between these symptoms and job-related stress among Japanese school teachers.

Study Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted among randomly selected elementary and junior high school teachers in Japan.

Electrochemical Decarboxylative Trifluoromethylation of Cinnamic Acids Revisited: A Combined Experimental and Computational Study.

β-(Trifluoromethyl)styrenes are potentially useful building blocks for the synthesis of organofluorine compounds because their electron-deficient C=C double bonds can undergo diverse transformations. One of the most practical methods for preparing β-(trifluoromethyl)styrenes is the decarboxylative trifluoromethylation of readily available cinnamic acid derivatives using the Langlois reagent as a less expensive trifluoromethyl source. We revisited the electrochemical decarboxylative trifluoromethylation of cinnamic acid derivatives to identify modified conditions that reduce the loading of the Langlois reagent without additional additives.

Evaluation of thermal effects of surgical energy devices: ex vivo study.

This study evaluated the direct and indirect thermal effects of various surgical energy devices using an ex-vivo model. Two types of three devices were evaluated: ENSEAL™ X1 Curved Jaw Tissue Sealer (X1) and ENSEAL™ G2 Curved Tissue Sealer (G2) as vessel sealing systems (VSSs), and HARMONIC HD1000i Shears (HA) as an ultrasonic activating device (USAD). Each device was activated once under DRY or WET conditions.

Learning curve of multiple surgeons for robot-assisted radical prostatectomy using the cumulative sum method: a retrospective single-institution study.

Prostate cancer (PC) is common among men and has become a significant societal issue. Localized PC has a good prognosis with appropriate treatment. Prostatectomy, particularly robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP), has become a common treatment since the da Vinci prostatectomy was approved by the FDA in 2001.

The prognostic superiority of second-generation androgen receptor signaling inhibitor in patients with non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare prognostic outcomes of administering first- or second-generation androgen receptor signaling inhibitors in non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and to find prognostic indicators.

Methods: This retrospective study included 198 patients with non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer from 14 institutions associated with Tokai Urologic Oncology Research Seminar. Forty-two patients were treated with combined androgen blockade using first-generation inhibitors (bicalutamide or flutamide), and 156 were treated with second-generation inhibitors (abiraterone/enzalutamide or apalutamide/darolutamide) after primary androgen deprivation therapy failure.

Coherent linking between confocal amplitude image and confocal phase image in dual-comb microscopy.

We propose a method for integrating confocal amplitude and phase images obtained through dual-comb microscopy (DCM). DCM combines the benefits of confocal laser microscopy and quantitative phase microscopy, offering high axial resolution and scan-less imaging. By leveraging the coherence between confocal amplitude and phase images within the same DCM system, we accurately determine the number of phase wrapping iterations, thereby eliminating ambiguity in phase wrapping.

Modeling NK-cell lymphoma in mice reveals its cell-of-origin and microenvironmental changes and identifies therapeutic targets.

Extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTCL) is an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-related neoplasm preferentially involving the upper aerodigestive tract. Here we show that NK-cell-specific Trp53 disruption in mice leads to the development of NK-cell lymphomas after long latency, which involve not only the hematopoietic system but also the salivary glands. Before tumor onset, Trp53 knockout causes extensive gene expression changes, resulting in immature NK-cell expansion, exclusively in the salivary glands.

Early Cancer Detection via Multi-microRNA Profiling of Urinary Exosomes Captured by Nanowires.

Multiple microRNAs encapsulated in extracellular vesicles (EVs) including exosomes, unique subtypes of EVs, differ in healthy and cancer groups of people, and they represent a warning sign for various cancer scenarios. Since all EVs in blood cannot be transferred from donor to recipient cells during a single blood circulation, kidney filtration could pass some untransferred EVs from blood to urine. Previously, we reported on the ability of zinc oxide nanowires to capture EVs based on surface charge and hydrogen bonding; these nanowires extracted massive numbers of microRNAs in urine, seeking cancer-related microRNAs through statistical analysis.

Optimal transplant strategy of pediatric liver transplantation for fibropolycystic liver disease: Multicenter retrospective study in Japan.

Aim: To assess the preoperative disease characteristics and indications for living donor liver transplantation (LDLT), complications, patient survival, and prognosis after LDLT for fibropolycystic liver disease (FLD) in children.

Methods: We undertook a cross-sectional survey of patients who underwent LDLT for FLD between January 2002 and December 2020.

Results: A total of 35 patients (22 male and 13 female individuals) with FLD were included in this study, of whom 19 (54.