Mechanoelectrical Transduction through Anion Recognition with Naphthalenediimide Monolayers at the Air-Water Interface.

In biological systems, various stimuli and energies are transduced into membrane potentials via ion transport or binding. The application of this concept to artificial devices may result in biomimetic signal transmitters and energy harvesters. In this study, we investigated the mechanical control of fluoride anion recognition with naphthalenediimide (NDI) monolayers at the air-water interface.

Ion sensors based on organic semiconductors acting as quasi-reference electrodes.

Thin-film devices that transduce the chemical activity of ions into electronic signals are essential components in various applications, including healthcare diagnostics and environmental monitoring. Combinations of organic semiconductors (OSCs) and ion-selective materials have been explored for developing solution-processable ion sensors. However, the necessity of reference electrodes (REs) and operational stability in ion-permeable OSCs have posed questions regarding whether reliable measurements with thin-film components are attainable with OSCs.

Doping of molecular semiconductors through proton-coupled electron transfer.

The chemical doping of molecular semiconductors is based on electron-transfer reactions between the semiconductor and dopant molecules; here, the redox potential of the dopant is key to control the Fermi level of the semiconductor. The tunability and reproducibility of chemical doping are limited by the availability of dopant materials and the effects of impurities such as water. Here we focused on proton-coupled electron-transfer (PCET) reactions, which are widely used in biochemical processes; their redox potentials depend on an easily handled parameter, that is, proton activity.

On-Demand Metallization System Using Micro-Plasma Bubbles.

3D wiring technology is required for the integration of micro-nano devices on various 3D surfaces. However, current wiring technologies cannot be adapted to a variety of materials and surfaces. Here, we propose a new metal deposition method using only a micro-plasma bubble injector and a metal ion solution.

Osteoblast Lineage Cell-derived Sema3A Regulates Bone Homeostasis Independently of Androgens.

Semaphorin 3A (Sema3A) coordinates bone resorption and formation under the control of estrogen signaling. However, the contribution of osteoblast lineage cell-derived Sema3A to vertebral homeostasis has remained unclear. Moreover, it is unknown whether androgen signaling is involved in Sema3A expression in osteoblast lineage cells.

Combination therapy with remdesivir and immunomodulators improves respiratory status in COVID-19: A retrospective study.

Immunomodulators (tocilizumab/baricitinib) improve outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, but the synergistic effect of remdesivir is unknown. The effect of combination therapy with remdesivir, immunomodulators, and standard treatment in COVID-19 patients was investigated. This retrospective, single-center study included COVID-19 patients who were treated with tocilizumab or baricitinib.

Induced Radionuclides and Their Activity Concentration in Gel Dosimeters Irradiated by Carbon Ion Beam.

Radioactivity was measured in a micellar gel dosimeter, a polymer gel dosimeter, and water was irradiated by carbon ion beams at various beam energy conditions. Monte Carlo simulation was also performed to estimate the radioactivity. Short-lived positron-emitting nuclides were observed immediately after irradiation, but they decayed rapidly into the background.

Inflammation and Bone Metabolism in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Molecular Mechanisms of Joint Destruction and Pharmacological Treatments.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory disease characterized by a variety of symptoms and pathologies often presenting with polyarthritis. The primary symptom in the initial stage is joint swelling due to synovitis. With disease progression, cartilage and bone are affected to cause joint deformities.

Delayed-onset Organizing Pneumonia Emerging after Recovery from Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Report of Three Cases Diagnosed Using Transbronchial Cryobiopsy and a Review of the Literature.

We present three cases with an atypical clinical course of organizing pneumonia (OP) secondary to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Three patients were discharged with satisfactory improvement after standard steroid therapy for COVID-19. Shortly after the completion of treatment, the patients experienced a flare-up of symptoms.

Hyper 100 °C Langmuir-Blodgett (Langmuir-Schaefer) Technique for Organized Ultrathin Film of Polymeric Semiconductors.

In this study, we advanced the conventional Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) method to a high-temperature range (above 100 °C) using a newly manufactured LB machine, which is adaptable to a high-boiling-point subphase, as a universally usable apparatus. A sophisticated trough design, with homogeneous heating capability up to approximately 200 °C, together with automatic film compression and Langmuir-Schaefer type film transfer, enabled the fabrication of highly aligned thin films of polymeric semiconductors with uniaxial alignment of polymer backbones, which is desirable for efficient charge transport. Herein, ultrathin films of semicrystalline thiophene-based semiconductors were prepared on ethylene glycol and heated to 80 °C.

Strong and Atmospherically Stable Dicationic Oxidative Dopant.

Increasing the doping level of semiconducting polymer using strong dopants is essential for achieving good electrical conductivity. As for p-dopant, raising the electron affinity of a neutral compound through the dense introduction of electron-withdrawing group has always been the predominant strategy to achieve strong dopant. However, this simple and intuitive strategy faces extendibility, accessibility, and stability issues for further development.

DCAF11 Supports Targeted Protein Degradation by Electrophilic Proteolysis-Targeting Chimeras.

Ligand-induced protein degradation has emerged as a compelling approach to promote the targeted elimination of proteins from cells by directing these proteins to the ubiquitin-proteasome machinery. So far, only a limited number of E3 ligases have been found to support ligand-induced protein degradation, reflecting a dearth of E3-binding compounds for proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) design. Here, we describe a functional screening strategy performed with a focused library of candidate electrophilic PROTACs to discover bifunctional compounds that degrade proteins in human cells by covalently engaging E3 ligases.

Surface Doping of Organic Single-Crystal Semiconductors to Produce Strain-Sensitive Conductive Nanosheets.

A highly periodic electrostatic potential, even though established in van der Waals bonded organic crystals, is essential for the realization of a coherent band electron system. While impurity doping is an effective chemical operation that can precisely tune the energy of an electronic system, it always faces an unavoidable difficulty in molecular crystals because the introduction of a relatively high density of dopants inevitably destroys the highly ordered molecular framework. In striking contrast, a versatile strategy is presented to create coherent 2D electronic carriers at the surface of organic semiconductor crystals with their precise molecular structures preserved perfectly.

Successful management of a patient with active Cushing's disease complicated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia.

We provide the details of the successful management of a patient with active Cushing's disease complicated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. The patient was a 27-year-old Japanese female healthcare worker who was scheduled to undergo pituitary surgery for Cushing's disease. She had been in close contact with an undiagnosed patient infected with COVID-19 and then developed COVID-19 pneumonia.

100 °C-Langmuir-Blodgett Method for Fabricating Highly Oriented, Ultrathin Films of Polymeric Semiconductors.

The Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) and Langmuir-Schaefer techniques facilitate thermodynamic favorability at an air-water interface, at which nanoscale molecular aggregations can be manipulated by micrometer- or millimeter-scale mechanics. The customary use of an aqueous subphase has limitations in the available temperature and spread materials. We present a general strategy to replace the aqueous subphase with an inert, low-vapor-pressure liquid, ethylene glycol.

Rapidly progressive organizing pneumonia associated with COVID-19.

We report a case of clinically diagnosed secondary organizing pneumonia (SOP) associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A 70-year-old woman who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 was admitted to Hokkaido University Hospital. Although her fever, cough, dyspnea, and serum C-reactive protein levels improved, she developed rapidly progressive respiratory failure and computed tomography revealed the development of bilateral lung consolidation.

Proposal of COVID-19 Clinical Risk Score for the management of suspected COVID-19 cases: a case control study.

Background: No clinical scoring system has yet been established to estimate the likelihood of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and determine the suitability of diagnostic testing in suspected COVID-19 patients.

Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective, observational study of patients with suspected COVID-19 and confirmed COVID-19. Patient background, clinical course, laboratory and computed tomography (CT) findings, and the presence of alternative diagnoses were evaluated.

Pathogenic Effect of on a Mouse Pneumonia Model Due to Methicillin-Resistant With Up-Regulated α-Hemolysin Expression.

: Methicillin-resistant (MRSA) is a common causative agent of pneumonia; however, the detailed mechanism underlying severe MRSA pneumonia, including association with oral hygiene or periodontitis, remains poorly characterized. In this study, we examined the pathogenic effect of , a major periodontopathic pathogen, on MRSA pneumonia. : The pathogenic effect of the supernatant of (Pi Sup) was investigated in a murine MRSA pneumonia model, using several clinical strains; whereas the bactericidal activity of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) was investigated .

[Preservation of the Spinal Perfusion Artery during Descending Thoracic and Thoracoabdominal Aortic Surgery].

This is a 3-case report of successful descending thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic surgery by preserving the spinal perfusion artery (SPA) identified preoperatively. In Case 1, an 85-year-old woman, computed tomography (CT) showed Crawford type Ⅴ thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA:60 mm) and a SPA originated from L2. In Case 2, a 76-year-old man, CT revealed type Ⅳ TAAA( 58 mm) and a SPA originated from Th11.

Novel Tetrafunctional Probes Identify Target Receptors and Binding Sites of Small-Molecule Drugs from Living Systems.

Significant advancement of chemoproteomics has contributed to uncovering the mechanism of action (MoA) of small-molecule drugs by characterizing drug-protein interactions in living systems. However, cell-membrane proteins such as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and ion channels, due to their low abundance and unique biophysical properties associated with multiple transmembrane domains, can present challenges for proteome-wide mapping of drug-receptor interactions. Herein, we describe the development of novel tetrafunctional probes, consisting of (1) a ligand of interest, (2) 2-aryl-5-carboxytetrazole (ACT) as a photoreactive group, (3) a hydrazine-labile cleavable linker, and (4) biotin for enrichment.

An Activity-Guided Map of Electrophile-Cysteine Interactions in Primary Human T Cells.

Electrophilic compounds originating from nature or chemical synthesis have profound effects on immune cells. These compounds are thought to act by cysteine modification to alter the functions of immune-relevant proteins; however, our understanding of electrophile-sensitive cysteines in the human immune proteome remains limited. Here, we present a global map of cysteines in primary human T cells that are susceptible to covalent modification by electrophilic small molecules.

Efficacy of a novel SARS-CoV-2 detection kit without RNA extraction and purification.

Rapid detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is critical for the diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and preventing the spread of the virus. A novel detection kit - the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Detection Kit (nCoV-DK) - halves the detection time by eliminating the steps of RNA extraction and purification. We evaluated the concordance between the nCoV-DK and direct PCR.