Defective removal of invariant chain peptides from MHC class II suppresses tumor antigen presentation and promotes tumor growth.

Tumor-draining lymph node dendritic cells (DCs) are poor stimulators of tumor antigen-specific CD4 T cells; however, the mechanism behind this defect is unclear. We now show that, in tumor-draining lymph node DCs, a large proportion of major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) molecules retains the class II-associated invariant chain peptide (CLIP) fragment of the invariant chain bound to the MHC-II peptide binding groove due to reduced expression of the peptide editor H2-M and enhanced activity of the CLIP-generating proteinase cathepsin S. The net effect of this is that MHC-II molecules are unable to efficiently bind antigenic peptides.

Contrasting Responses of Smoke Dispersion and Fire Emissions to Aerosol-Radiation Interaction during the Largest Australian Wildfires in 2019-2020.

The record-breaking 2019-2020 Australian wildfires have been primarily linked to climate change and its internal variability. However, the meteorological feedback mechanisms affecting smoke dispersion and wildfire emissions on a synoptic scale remain unclear. This study focused on the largest wildfires occurring between December 25, 2019 and January 10, 2020, under the enhanced subtropical high, when the double peak in wildfire evolution was favored by sustained low humidity and two synchronous increases in temperature and wind.

Nicotine enhances the stemness and tumorigenicity in intestinal stem cells via Hippo-YAP/TAZ and Notch signal pathway.

Cigarette smoking is a well-known risk factor inducing the development and progression of various diseases. Nicotine (NIC) is the major constituent of cigarette smoke. However, knowledge of the mechanism underlying the NIC-regulated stem cell functions is limited.

Aging in a weighted ensemble of excitable and self-oscillatory neurons: The role of pairwise and higher-order interactions.

We investigate the aging transition in networks of excitable and self-oscillatory units as the fraction of inherently excitable units increases. Two network topologies are considered: a scale-free network with weighted pairwise interactions and a two-dimensional simplicial complex with weighted scale-free pairwise and triadic interactions. Without triadic interactions, the aging transition from collective oscillations to oscillation death (inhomogeneous stationary states) can occur either suddenly or through an intermediate state of partial oscillation.

Directed recurrence networks for the analysis of nonlinear and complex dynamical systems.

Complex network approaches have been emerging as an analysis tool for dynamical systems. Different reconstruction methods from time series have been shown to reveal complicated behaviors that can be quantified from the network's topology. Directed recurrence networks have recently been suggested as one such method, complementing the already successful recurrence networks and expanding the applications of recurrence analysis.

Metastability of multi-population Kuramoto-Sakaguchi oscillators.

An Ott-Antonsen reduced M-population of Kuramoto-Sakaguchi oscillators is investigated, focusing on the influence of the phase-lag parameter α on the collective dynamics. For oscillator populations coupled on a ring, we obtained a wide variety of spatiotemporal patterns, including coherent states, traveling waves, partially synchronized states, modulated states, and incoherent states. Back-and-forth transitions between these states are found, which suggest metastability.

Structure-Function Analysis of CYP105A1 in the Metabolism of Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs.

CYP105A1 exhibits monooxygenase activity to a wide variety of structurally different substrates with regio- and stereospecificity, making its application range broad. Our previous studies have shown that CYP105A1 wild type and its variants metabolize 12 types of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). In particular, the R84A variant exhibited a high activity against many NSAIDs.

Dihydrolevoglucosenone (CyreneTM) as a Bio-derived Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier.

Organic hydrides can store hydrogen via chemical bonding under ambient conditions, enabling the safe storage and transportation of hydrogen gas using the same infrastructure for gasoline. However, in previous research, most organic hydrides have been produced from petroleum, and therefore replacing them with earth-abundant or renewable compounds is essential to ensure sustainability. This study demonstrates dihydrolevoglucosenone (CyreneTM), which is a biodegradable liquid ketone that is produced directly from biomass without pretreatments on an industrial scale, as a new renewable organic hydride.

Inactivation Effects of Hypochlorous Acid, Chlorine Dioxide, and Ozone on Airborne SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza A Virus.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and influenza A virus are primarily transmitted through droplets or aerosols from patients. The inactivation effects of existing virus control techniques may vary depending on the environmental factors. Therefore, it is important to establish a suitable evaluation system for assessing virus control techniques against airborne viruses for further real-world implementation.

Identifying non-responders to cardiac resynchronization therapy in the non-left bundle branch block.

Background: Non-response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is an important issue in the treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and non-left bundle branch block (LBBB). Electrocardiogram-gated myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography imaging (G-MPI SPECT) is typically used to assess left ventricular (LV) dyssynchrony. This study aimed to determine whether G-MPI parameters are associated with non-responsiveness to CRT.

Incidence of corneal perforation and lagophthalmos in patients with leprosy in Japan based on 40-year observations.

Purpose: This study aimed to report the incidence, characteristics, and prognosis of corneal perforation in patients with leprosy.

Study Design: Retrospective observational study.

Methods: Patients who presented with leprosy and visited a specialised ophthalmology hospital (Miyata Eye Hospital, Miyazaki, Japan) between 1980 and 2020 were included.

Modulation of the peak velocities and gains of abduction and adduction saccades according to head position.

Purpose: To assess the effects of modifying head position and of static ocular counter-rolling (OCR) on abduction and adduction in saccadic eye movements using a head-mounted video-oculographic device.

Study Design: A clinical observational study.

Methods: The peak velocities and amplitude gains of visually guided 12° saccades were binocularly measured in 21 healthy volunteers with their heads in the upright vertical (0°) and horizontal (± 90°, bilateral side-lying) postures, and in 6 participants with their head positions bilaterally tilted by 30°.

ARID4B Promotes the Progression of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Through the PI3K/AKT Pathway.

Background: AT-rich interaction domain 4B (ARID4B) is a transcriptional activator that regulates the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway in prostate cancer. However, the role of ARID4B in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has remained unclear.

Methods: This study included 162 patients who had undergone primary hepatic resection for HCC between 2008 and 2019.

Regulation of swelling behaviour while preserving bulk modulus in hydrogels surface grafting.

This study presents a novel approach to control "linked property changes" in hydrogels. Specifically, we controlled the swelling behaviour without altering the bulk elastic modulus by grafting polymers selectively into the surface region of the gels, while varying the graft amount.

Nanostructural Analysis of Age-Related Changes Affecting Human Dentin.

Human dentin performs its function throughout life, even though it is not remodeled like bone. Therefore, dentin must have extreme durability against daily repetitive loading. Elucidating its durability requires a comprehensive understanding of its shape, structure, and anisotropy at various levels of its structure.

Sex differences in immunotherapy outcomes and tumor-infiltrating immune cell profiles in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.

Sex differences in the outcomes of advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and the profiles of tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) remain unclear. We retrospectively evaluated data from 563 patients with RCC receiving systemic therapy, including first-line dual ICI combinations (i.e.

Characterization of a Novel Col1a1 Osteogenesis Imperfecta Mouse Model with Insights into Skeletal Phenotype, Fragility, and Therapeutic Evaluations.

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is an inheritable skeletal disorder characterized by bone fragility often caused by pathogenic variants in the COL1A1 gene. Current OI mouse models with a glycine substitution in Col1a1 exhibit excessive severity, thereby limiting long-term pathophysiological analysis and drug effect assessments. To address this limitation, we constructed a novel OI mouse model mimicking a patient with OI type III.

Resveratrol polysaccharide is less cytotoxicity and inhibits UVA-, UVB-, and tertiary-butyl hydroperoxide-induced injury in human keratinocytes.

Natural stilbene compounds, such as resveratrol and pterostilbene, have been focused on owing to their diverse biological activities associated with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aging properties. However, their low water solubility limits their advanced applications. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of selected stilbene compounds (resveratrol, oxyresveratrol, gnetol, piceatannol, and pterostilbene) and their water-soluble derivatives (piceid, resveratrol polysaccharide, pterostilbene trisaccharide, and pterostilbene polysaccharide) against UVA-, UVB irradiation, tertiary-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BuOOH)- and hydrogen peroxide (HO)-induced injury in human epidermal cells.

Basic Science and Pathogenesis.

Background: The growing number of AD patients is a public concern all over the world. During the decade, anti-amyloid beta-proteins (Aβ) monoclonal antibodies for AD patients have been developed. Among the immunotherapeutic agents, lecanemab is an anti-Aβ monoclonal antibody that binds to Aβ protofibrils (Aβ PFs), which is an intermediate molecule in Aβ species.

Comprehensive epidemiology of melanoma at all sites: insights from Japan's National Cancer Registry, 2016-2017.

Background: Melanoma is a highly malignant cancer responsible for 55 000 deaths worldwide annually. Despite its severity, its epidemiology in Japan remains understudied owing to its rarity among Asians. This study aimed to determine the incidence of melanoma in Japan using data from the National Cancer Registry.

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.

Impact of breast size and composition on the accuracy of mammography and ultrasonography in breast cancer screening.

Background: The accuracy of mammography in breast cancer screening is influenced by different factors such as breast composition. However, previous studies did not evaluate the impact of breast size on examination accuracy. This study aimed to investigate the influence of breast size on the accuracy of mammography and ultrasonography in breast cancer screening using compressed breast thickness (CBT) on mammography as an indicator of breast size.