Ferguson Plot Analysis of Chaperone ClpB from Moderate Halophile.

The Ferguson plot is a simple method for determining the molecular weight of native proteins and their complexes. In this study, we tested the validity of the Ferguson plot based on agarose native gel electrophoresis using multimeric chaperone protein, ClpB, derived from a moderate halophile that forms a native hexamer. The Ferguson plot showed a single band with a molecular weight of 1,500 kDa, approximately twice the size of the native hexamer.

Short-term Patient-Reported Outcomes Following Bilateral Risk-Reducing Mastectomy for Patients at a High Risk for Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review.

Background: Bilateral risk-reducing mastectomies (RRMs) have been proven to decrease the risk of breast cancer in patients at high risk owing to family history or having pathogenic genetic mutations. However, few resources with consolidated data have detailed the patient experience following surgery. This systematic review features patient-reported outcomes for patients with no breast cancer history in the year after their bilateral RRM.

Genetic landscape in undiagnosed patients with syndromic hearing loss revealed by whole exome sequencing and phenotype similarity search.

There are hundreds of rare syndromic diseases involving hearing loss, many of which are not targeted for clinical genetic testing. We systematically explored the genetic causes of undiagnosed syndromic hearing loss using a combination of whole exome sequencing (WES) and a phenotype similarity search system called PubCaseFinder. Fifty-five families with syndromic hearing loss of unknown cause were analyzed using WES after prescreening of several deafness genes depending on patient clinical features.

Combined molecular subclass and immune phenotype correlate to atezolizumab plus radiation therapy response in invasive bladder cancer: BPT-ART Phase II study.

Purpose: Bladder preservation therapy in combination with atezolizumab and radiation therapy (BPT-ART) trial, which was a multicenter, open-label, single-arm phase II study, showed a promisingly high interim clinical complete response (cCR) rate of 84.4% (38/45). In the present study, we aimed to identify potential tissue biomarkers for achieving cCR via BPT-ART.

Successful granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor inhalation therapy for recurrent autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis after lung transplantation: A case report.

Sargramostim, a recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) inhalation therapy, was recently approved for pharmaceutical use in Japan and shows promise as a treatment for autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (APAP). For APAP patients with severe respiratory failure due to advanced lung fibrosis, lung transplantation is also a treatment option; however, APAP may recur after the procedure. Here, we report a case of successful sargramostim inhalation therapy for post-transplant APAP relapse in a patient who underwent living lung transplantation owing to severe fibrosis.

Development of the membrane ceiling method for in vitro spermatogenesis.

Spermatogenesis is one of the most complex processes of cell differentiation and its failure is a major cause of male infertility. Therefore, a proper model that recapitulates spermatogenesis in vitro has been long sought out for basic and clinical research. Testis organ culture using the gas-liquid interphase method has been shown to support spermatogenesis in mice and rats.

Spatiotemporal patterns in active four-state Potts models.

Many types of spatiotemporal patterns have been observed under nonequilibrium conditions. Cycling through four or more states can provide specific dynamics, such as the spatial coexistence of multiple phases. However, transient dynamics have only been studied by previous theoretical models, since absorbing transition into a uniform phase covered by a single state occurs in the long-time limit.

Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 Positive Advanced Gastric or Esophagogastric Adenocarcinoma: Reflecting on the Past to Gain a New Insights.

Purpose Of Review: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is a critical target in advanced gastric cancer (AGC). This review highlights the current treatment landscape, lessons learned from past clinical trials, and prospects for future treatment strategies for HER2-positive AGC.

Recent Findings: Trastuzumab had been the standard treatment for HER2-positive AGC for a decade, and subsequently, trastuzumab deruxtecan, an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), emerged with an impressive response.

Blood DNA virome associates with autoimmune diseases and COVID-19.

Aberrant immune responses to viral pathogens contribute to pathogenesis, but our understanding of pathological immune responses caused by viruses within the human virome, especially at a population scale, remains limited. We analyzed whole-genome sequencing datasets of 6,321 Japanese individuals, including patients with autoimmune diseases (psoriasis vulgaris, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) or multiple sclerosis) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), or healthy controls. We systematically quantified two constituents of the blood DNA virome, endogenous HHV-6 (eHHV-6) and anellovirus.

Effects of intra-tumoral cellular heterogeneity of oxygen partial pressure on biological effectiveness of hydrogen-, helium-, carbon-, oxygen-, and neon-ion beams.

The tumor microenvironment characterized by heterogeneously organized vasculatures causes intra-tumoral heterogeneity of oxygen partial pressurepat the cellular level, which cannot be measured by current imaging techniques. The intra-tumoral cellularpheterogeneity may lead to a reduction of therapeutic effects of radiation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the heterogeneity on biological effectiveness of H-, He-, C-, O-, and Ne-ion beams for different oxygenation levels, prescribed dose levels, and cell types.

Inter- and Intrasublattice Spin Mixing Conductance of the Antiferromagnetic Spin Pumping Effect in α-Fe_{2}O_{3}/Pt.

The spin pumping effect in antiferromagnets, which ultimately converts THz waves into a spin current, is the key physical mechanism leading to an essential function which harnesses the THz technology and spintronics. Here, we report thorough experimental investigations of the spin current induced by the antiferromagnetic spin pumping effect in epitaxial α-Fe_{2}O_{3} thin films having two distinct dynamic modes and unambiguously show that both the inter- and intrasublattice spin mixing conductance are equally substantial. Our experimental insight is an important advance for understanding the physics of transduction between the spin current and the staggered magnetization dynamics at THz frequency.

Development of a new tool to simultaneously measure soil-gas permeability and CO concentration as important parameters for geogenic radon potential assessment.

This study assessed the geogenic radon potential using PECAME, an innovative tool designed to simultaneously measure soil-gas permeability and CO concentration - two key parameters for understanding radon transport in soil. Comparative field studies using the RADON-JOK device in various geological settings in Japan and Poland demonstrate the effectiveness of PECAME. These studies reveal a strong correlation between PECAME and RADON-JOK, with an R value of 0.

Actinide-Boosting r Process in Black-Hole-Neutron-Star Merger Ejecta.

We examine nucleosynthesis in the ejecta of black-hole-neutron-star mergers based on the results of long-term neutrino-radiation-magnetohydrodynamics simulations for the first time. We find that the combination of dynamical and postmerger ejecta reproduces a solarlike r-process pattern. Moreover, the enhancement level of actinides is highly sensitive to the distribution of both the electron fraction and the velocity of the dynamical ejecta.

Genome-scale evolution in local populations of wild chimpanzees.

Analysis of genome-scale evolution has been difficult in large, endangered animals because opportunities to collect high-quality genetic samples are limited. There is a need for novel field-friendly, cost-effective genetic techniques. This study conducted an exome-wide analysis of a total of 42 chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) across six African regions, providing insights into population discrimination techniques.

A multicenter study on TROP2 as a potential targeted therapy for extramammary Paget disease in Japan.

Extramammary Paget disease (EMPD) is a rare skin cancer that typically occurs in the anogenital area of older people. Since efficacy of treatments for metastatic or unresectable EMPD remains poor, development of a novel therapeutic approach is strongly desired. However, the lack of EMPD models has hampered investigation of EMPD.

AI-based visualization of loose connective tissue as a dissectable layer in gastrointestinal surgery.

We aimed to develop an AI model that recognizes and displays loose connective tissue as a dissectable layer in real-time during gastrointestinal surgery and to evaluate its performance, including feasibility for clinical application. Training data were created under the supervision of gastrointestinal surgeons. Test images and videos were randomly sampled and model performance was evaluated visually by 10 external gastrointestinal surgeons.

Integrative analysis of ATAC-seq and RNA-seq for cells infected by human T-cell leukemia virus type 1.

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) causes adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) and HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (HAM) after a long latent period in a fraction of infected individuals. These HTLV-1-infected cells typically have phenotypes similar to that of CD4+T cells, but the cell status is not well understood. To extract the inherent information of HTLV-1-infected CD4+ cells, we integratively analyzed the ATAC-seq and RNA-seq data of the infected cells.

Chemical process of hydrogen and formic acid on a Pd-deposited Cu(111) surface studied by high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations.

Formic acid (HCOOH) is one of the essential molecules for CO utilization including methanol synthesis and hydrogen carriers. In this study, we have investigated the chemical processes of hydrogen and HCOOH on a dilute-alloy Pd-Cu(111) surface using high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HR-XPS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The present Pd-Cu(111) surface was prepared at 500 K, and the observed core-level shifts of Pd 3d indicate that Pd atoms were located at the surface and subsurface sites: 335.

EMT-Induced Morphological Variations on Living Cell Membrane Surface.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a drastic and important cellular process by which epithelial cells acquire a mesenchymal phenotype. Herein, we evaluated EMT-induced membrane variations using scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM), which allows noninvasive nanoscale visualization. The results showed that the number and size of ruffles on the living cell surface decreased as the EMT progressed.

Longitudinal Changes in Medial Meniscal Extrusion After ACL Injury and Reconstruction and Its Relationship With Cartilage Degeneration Assessed Using MRI-Based T1ρ and T2 Analysis.

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury often leads to posttraumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA), despite ACL reconstruction (ACLR). Medial meniscal extrusion (MME) is implicated in PTOA progression but remains understudied after ACL injury and ACLR.

Hypothesis/purpose: It was hypothesized that MME would increase longitudinally after ACL injury and ACLR, with greater changes in the ipsilateral knee compared with the contralateral knee, leading to cartilage degeneration.

Enhanced Discriminability of Viral Vectors in Viscous Nanopores.

Achieving safe and efficient gene therapy hinges upon the inspection of genomes enclosed within individual nano-carriers to mitigate potential health risks associated with empty or fragment-filled vectors. Here solid-state nanopore sensing is reported for identifications of intermediate adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors in liquid. The method exploits the phenomenon of translocation slowdown induced by the viscosity of salt water-organic mixtures.