1,639,598 results match your criteria: "Japan; Institute for AI and Beyond[Affiliation]"

Enhanced Efficiency and Stability of Tin Halide Perovskite Solar Cells Through MOF Integration.

Small

January 2025

Department of Materials Process Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8603, Japan.

Tin halide perovskites are promising candidates for lead-free perovskite solar cells due to their ideal bandgap and high charge-carrier mobility. However, poor crystal quality and rapid degradation in ambient conditions severely limit their stability and practical applications. This study demonstrates that incorporating UiO-66, a zirconium-based MOF, significantly enhances the performance and stability of tin halide perovskite solar cells (TPSCs).

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We investigated the extracellular and intracellular digestion of bivalves employing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Ruditapes philippinarum clams and Mytilus galloprovincialis mussels were incubated in seawater containing a contrast reagent (GdDTPA) at 20°C. The digestive systems, from the esophagus to the rectum, were visualized at a high signal intensity by the T1-weighted MRI.

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Electrophysiological Characterization of Monoolein-Fatty Acid Bilayers.

Langmuir

January 2025

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Iona University, 715 North Avenue, New Rochelle, New York 10801, United States.

Understanding the evolution of protocells, primitive compartments that distinguish self from nonself, is crucial for exploring the origin of life. Fatty acids and monoglycerides have been proposed as key components of protocell membranes due to their ability to self-assemble into bilayers and vesicles capable of nutrient exchange. In this study, we investigate the electrophysiological properties of planar bilayers composed of monoglyceride and fatty acid mixtures, using a droplet interface bilayer system.

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Nucleoside derivatives having a 4-substituent show promise as potential antiviral agents as well as nucleoside units for constructing nucleic acid medicines. To develop new nucleosides, it is crucial to achieve feasible access to the intended derivatives, encompassing both enantiomers. Toward this end, we started synthesizing an achiral 4-hydroxymethyldihydrofuran as a sugar precursor, which we subjected to the oxidative glycosylation reaction using hypervalent iodine.

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A paper-based potentiometric sensor integrated with a polymeric hydrogel has been developed for sodium ion (Na) determination in human urine. The construction of an all-solid-state ion selective electrode (s-ISE) and an all-solid-state reference electrode (s-RE) on a photo paper substrate was achieved using an inkjet printing method. For s-ISE fabrication, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were printed on the substrate as a nanocomposite solid contact.

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Antiseizure Medications: Advancements, Challenges, and Prospects in Drug Development.

Curr Neuropharmacol

January 2025

Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder affecting millions of people worldwide. Antiseizure medications (ASM) remain a critical therapeutic intervention for treating epilepsy, notwithstanding the rapid development of other therapies. There have been substantial advances in epilepsy medications over the past three decades, with over 20 ASMs now available commercially.

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The role of spatial arrangement of aromatic rings on the binding of ,'-diheteroaryl guanidine ligands to the G2C4/G2C4 motif DNA.

Phys Chem Chem Phys

January 2025

Department of Regulatory Bioorganic Chemistry, SANKEN (the Institute of Science and Industrial Research), Osaka University, 8-1, Mihogaoka, Ibaraki, Osaka, 567-0047, Japan.

Non-canonical DNA structures formed by aberrantly expanded repeat DNA are implicated in promoting repeat instability and the onset of repeat expansion diseases. Small molecules that target these disease-causing repeat DNAs hold promise as therapeutic agents for such diseases. Specifically, 1,3-di(quinolin-2-yl)guanidine (DQG) has been identified to bind to the disease-causing GGCCCC (G2C4) repeat DNA associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia (ALS/FTD).

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Heat stress negatively affects the reproductive function of in animals and humans. Although a relationship between heat and oxidative stress has been suggested, the underlying mechanism has not been sufficiently examined in reproduction-related cells. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether heat stress induces oxidative stress using a variety of reproduction-related cells including bovine placental and cumulus-granulosa cells, human cell lines derived from cervical and endometrial cancers, and fibroblasts derived from endometrium.

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This study evaluated carcass weight and physicochemical properties of loin and leg meat parts of Saanen castrated goats (n = 4) reared by grazing for 5 months in an abandoned rice field with concentrate supplements, comparing with meat of goats (n = 4) reared by confined feeding with grass silage and concentrate. Carcass and meat part weights of goats in the grazing group were lower (p < 0.01) than confined group.

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Bayesian method for comparing F1 scores in the absence of a gold standard.

J Biopharm Stat

January 2025

Department of Biostatistics, School of Medicine, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan.

In the field of medicine, evaluating the diagnostic performance of new diagnostic methods can be challenging, especially in the absence of a gold standard. This study proposes a methodology for assessing the performance of diagnostic tests by estimating the posterior distribution of the score using latent class analysis, without relying on a gold standard. The proposed method utilizes Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling to estimate the posterior distribution of the score, enabling a comprehensive evaluation of diagnostic test methods.

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A fluoroalkyl-containing electron acceptor (Y-SSM) is designed and synthesized to control the orientation of the benchmark non-fullerene acceptor Y6 in thin films. Due to the low surface energy of the two fluoroalkyl chains at the terminal part of Y-SSM, it spontaneously segregates to the film surface during spin coating, forming a monolayer of edge-on oriented Y-SSM. The Y-SSM monolayer leads to crystallization of the underlying Y6 to induce a standing-up orientation in the bulk of the films, which is strikingly different from pure Y6 films that tend to be a face-on orientation.

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BACKGROUND Extensor pollicis longus (EPL) tendon rupture is a potential complication following distal radius fracture, typically occurring several weeks after injury. Herein, we present a rare case of acute extensor pollicis longus tendon rupture associated with a distal radius fracture. CASE REPORT A 35-year-old woman visited our hospital with a distal radius fracture.

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Microfluidic-Enabled Self-Directed Hydrogel Microspheres for Multiplexed MicroRNA Assays.

Anal Chem

January 2025

MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Nutrition and Health, Department of Bioengineering, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, China.

Multiplexed microRNA (miRNA) detection has proven valuable in disease diagnosis; yet, the development of advanced tools for their analysis remains a subject of broad interest. Here, we propose a novel single-particle method for multiplexed miRNA detection using self-directed hydrogel microspheres, which feature supersegmented compartments for loading analyte probes and an air-encapsulated region that grants the microsphere a unique preferred posture in aqueous solutions. By exploiting microfluidic technology, we can widely adjust the size of the microspheres and the number of compartments can be widely adjusted.

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SARS-CoV-2-related proteins, ACE2 and TMPRSS2, are determinants of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Although these proteins are expressed in oral-related tissues, their expression patterns and modulatory mechanisms in the salivary glands remain unknown. We herein showed that full-length ACE2, which has both a fully functional enzyme catalytic site and high-affinity SARS-CoV-2 spike S1-binding sites, was more highly expressed in salivary glands than in oral mucosal epithelial cells and the lungs.

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Current Landscape of Adoptive Cell Therapy and Challenge to Develop "Off-The-Shelf" Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

J Gastroenterol Hepatol

January 2025

Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy and Immunology, Transborder Medical Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.

Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) is a type of immunotherapy in which autologous or allogeneic immune cells, such as tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes or engineered lymphocytes, are infused into patients with cancer to eliminate malignant cells. Recently, autologous T cells modified to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) targeting CD19 showed a positive response in clinical studies for hematologic malignancies and have begun to be used in clinical practice. This article discusses the current status and promise of ACT research in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), focusing on challenges in off-the-shelf ACT using primary cells or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) with or without genetic engineering.

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Modular polyketide synthases (PKSs) are multi-domain enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of polyketide natural products. The dehydratase (DH) domain catalyzes the dehydration of the β-hydroxyacyl unit attached to the acyl carrier protein (ACP) domain in modular PKS. Although the DH domain likely recognizes the cognate ACP domain during the dehydration reaction, the molecular basis of DH-ACP interactions remains elusive.

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Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains a significant global health challenge, emphasizing the need for precise identification of patients with specific therapeutic targets and those at high risk of metastasis. This study aimed to identify novel therapeutic targets for personalized treatment of TNBC patients by elucidating their roles in cell cycle regulation. Using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), we identified 83 hub genes by integrating gene expression profiles with clinical pathological grades.

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Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infects cells by attaching to heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG) and Na/taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP). The endothelial lipase LIPG bridges HSPG and HBV, facilitating HBV attachment. From a randomized peptide expression library, we identified a short sequence binding to LIPG.

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Purpose: This study aimed to investigate whether combining the analysis of different magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signs enhances the diagnostic accuracy of lateral meniscus posterior root tears (LMPRTs) in patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. We hypothesised that analysing the cleft, ghost and truncated triangle signs and lateral meniscus extrusion (LME) measurement together would improve the preoperative MRI-based diagnosis of LMPRTs.

Methods: This retrospective study used prospectively collected registry data from two academic centres, including patients undergoing primary or revision ACL reconstruction (ACLR) and LMPRT repair.

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Fistulization involving both the sigmoid colon and urachus is exceedingly rare. While previous cases have often necessitated laparotomy due to the involvement of multiple organs, only one instance of successful laparoscopic surgery has been reported. Here, we present the second documented case of laparoscopic resection of a sigmoid-urachal fistula.

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The architectural characteristics of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can be examined through their net topology, which consists of nodes and linkers. A node's connectivity and site symmetry are likely the key elements influencing the net topology of MOFs. Metal-organic polyhedra (MOPs) function effectively as nodes when used as supermolecular building blocks (SBBs).

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Chronic inflammation in the tumour microenvironment (TME) via Th2-polarisation promotes melanoma progression and metastasis, making it a target for immunotherapy. Interleukin (IL)-4 is considered essential for Th2-polarisation in the TME; however, its source remains unknown. Basophils have been postulated as one of its sources.

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Background: Pregnancy-related anatomic, physiologic, and hormonal factors can occur at different stages of pregnancy and affect sleep disturbances. The relationship between sleep problems during pregnancy and postpartum depressive symptoms as well as neonatal condition at delivery have not been well described. This study hypothesized that sleep problems are associated with postpartum depressive symptoms and adverse neonatal outcomes at delivery.

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