Mutations of CYP1B1 and FOXC1 genes for childhood glaucoma in Japanese individuals.

Purpose: To explore the frequency and positions of genetic mutations in CYP1B1 and FOXC1 in a Japanese population.

Study Design: Molecular genetic analysis.

Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from 31 Japanese patients with childhood glaucoma (CG) from 29 families.

Enhanced hydrogen uptake of dihydrogen complex porous materials support.

This research focuses on enhancing H adsorption by using the [Mo(PCy)(CO)] complex supported on porous materials such as silica gel and mesoporous carbon. The study reports a significant increase in hydrogen adsorption capacity, reaching up to 9.3 times that of the bulk complex.

The Role of Diet and Nutrition in Cancer: Prevention, Treatment, and Survival.

Diet and nutrition are important factors in cancer prevention and treatment because an unbalanced diet increases the risk of cancer onset, while malnutrition negatively impacts the efficacy of cancer treatment [...

Nutritional Approach to Cancer Cachexia: A Proposal for Dietitians.

Cachexia is one of the most common, related factors of malnutrition in cancer patients. Cancer cachexia is a multifactorial syndrome characterized by persistent loss of skeletal muscle mass and fat mass, resulting in irreversible and progressive functional impairment. The skeletal muscle loss cannot be reversed by conventional nutritional support, and a combination of anti-inflammatory agents and other nutrients is recommended.

Administration of zinc to preterm infants with hypozincemia does not reduce serum copper concentrations in most cases: a single-center retrospective observational study.

Background: Zinc is an essential trace element involved in various physiological functions. In Japan, zinc acetate dihydrate is administered to neonates and infants with hypozincemia. Since serum copper concentrations are reduced by the administration of zinc, we retrospectively investigated changes in serum zinc and copper concentrations in preterm infants with hypozincemia receiving zinc acetate dihydrate.

Emotional and Behavioral Outcomes in Childhood for Survivors of Invasive Group B Streptococcus Disease in Infancy: Findings From 5 Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Background: Survivors of invasive group B Streptococcus (iGBS) disease, notably meningitis, are at increased risk of neurodevelopmental impairment. However, the limited studies to date have a median follow-up to 18 months and have mainly focused on moderate or severe neurodevelopmental impairment, with no previous studies on emotional-behavioral problems among iGBS survivors.

Methods: In this multicountry, matched cohort study, we included children aged 18 months to 17 years with infant iGBS sepsis and meningitis from health demographic surveillance systems, or hospital records in Argentina, India, Kenya, Mozambique, and South Africa.

Development of a Minipig Model of BINT From Blast Exposure Using a Repeatable Mobile Shock Expansion Tube.

Introduction: The Office of Naval Research (ONR) sponsored the Blast Load Assessment Sense and Test (BLAST) program to provide an approach to operationally relevant monitoring and analysis of blast exposure for optimization of service member performance and health. Of critical importance in this effort was the development of a standardized methodology for preclinical large animal studies that can reliably produce outcome measures that cannot be measured in human studies to support science-based guidelines. The primary advantage of this approach is that, because animal studies report physiological measures that correlate with human neuropathology, these data can be used to evaluate potential risks to service members by accounting for the anatomical and physiological differences between humans and large animal models.

Fabrication of tough, anisotropic, chemical-crosslinker-free poly(vinyl alcohol) nanofibrous cryogels electrospinning.

PVA hydrogels with anisotropic structures have many biomedical applications; however, the hydrophilicity of PVA nanofibers degrades their mechanical properties, and the residual unreacted chemical crosslinkers are disadvantageous for medical use. Therefore, maintaining the stability of aqueous solutions without using crosslinkers is essential while synthesizing electrospun anisotropic PVA nanofibers. Herein, we developed a novel fabrication method for synthesizing tough, anisotropic, and chemical-crosslinker-free nanofibrous cryogels composed of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and glycerol (Gly) electrospinning in conjunction with freeze-thawing treatment.

Recent progress in porphyrin- and phthalocyanine-containing perovskite solar cells.

In this review, we summarize the application of porphyrins and phthalocyanines in perovskite solar cells to date. Since the first porphyrin- and phthalocyanine-based perovskite solar cells were reported in 2009, their power conversion efficiency has dramatically increased from 3.9% to over 20%.

High-yielding Pd(dba)·CH-based four-fold Sonogashira coupling with selenophene-conjugated magnesium tetraethynylporphyrin for organic solar cells.

A catalytic system using Pd(dba)·(CH)/PPh/CuI for Sonogashira coupling was demonstrated to synthesize a selenophene-conjugated magnesium tetraethynylporphyrin Mg-TEP-(Se-DPP) (2a). The catalytic system enabled four-fold cross-coupling of the four terminal alkynes of magnesium tetraethynylporphyrin with bromoselenophene-tethered diketopyrrolopyrroles (DPPs) to produce the desired star-shaped 2a in 80% yield. This molecule shows higher solubility in organic solvents, more efficient visible and near-infrared region absorption, and a narrower band gap compared with reference thiophene-conjugated congeners.

Behavioral economic substitution between conventional cigarettes and e-cigarettes differs as a function of the frequency of e-cigarette use.

Background: Models measuring the interactions between consumption of conventional cigarettes and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in the marketplace are becoming vital forecast tools as the popularity of e-cigarettes increases and policy on tobacco products changes. Behavioral economics, which involves the integration of psychology and consumer demand, can be used to measure individuals' purchase behavior under different marketplace conditions. Our goal was to measure hypothetical conventional cigarette and e-cigarette purchasing among smokers with varying e-cigarette use patterns.

Iterative Development and Evaluation of a Pharmacogenomic-Guided Clinical Decision Support System for Warfarin Dosing.

Objective: Pharmacogenomic-guided dosing has the potential to improve patient outcomes but its implementation has been met with clinical challenges. Our objective was to develop and evaluate a clinical decision support system (CDSS) for pharmacogenomic-guided warfarin dosing designed for physicians and pharmacists.

Methods: Twelve physicians and pharmacists completed 6 prescribing tasks using simulated patient scenarios in two iterations (development and validation phases) of a newly developed pharmacogenomic-driven CDSS prototype.

Insertion of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells in Textiles using a Conventional Weaving Process.

Increasing demands for wearable energy sources and highly flexible, lightweight photovoltaic devices have stimulated the development of textile-structured solar cells. However, the former approach of wire-type solar cell fabrication, followed by weaving of these devices, has had limited success, due to device failure caused by high friction forces and tension forces during the weaving process. To overcome this limitation, we present a new approach for textile solar cell fabrication, in which dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) electrodes are incorporated into the textile during the weaving process, using the textile warp as a spacer to maintain the DSSC structure.

NEK9-dependent proliferation of cancer cells lacking functional p53.

Dysfunction of the p53 network is a major cause of cancer development, and selective elimination of p53-inactivated cancer cells therefore represents an ideal therapeutic strategy. In this study, we performed a microRNA target screen that identified NEK9 (NIMA-related kinase 9) as a crucial regulator of cell-cycle progression in p53-inactivated cancer cells. NEK9 depletion selectively inhibited proliferation in p53-deficient cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo.

Multiplex PCR: use of heat-stable Thermus thermophilus RecA protein to minimize non-specific PCR products.

In this paper we report that the inclusion of heat-resistant RecA protein from a thermophilic bacteria, Thermus thermophilus, and its cofactor (ATP) in PCR effectively eliminates non-specific PCR products. The effect of RecA protein, which catalyzes pairing between homologous DNA molecules with great fidelity in genetic recombination, is due to its promotion of precise priming in PCR (i.e.

Complicated water orientations in the minor groove of the B-DNA decamer d(CCATTAATGG)2 observed by neutron diffraction measurements.

It has long been suspected that the structure and function of a DNA duplex can be strongly dependent on its degree of hydration. By neutron diffraction experiments, we have succeeded in determining most of the hydrogen (H) and deuterium (D) atomic positions in the decameric d(CCATTAATGG)2 duplex. Moreover, the D positions in 27 D2O molecules have been determined.

Dopamine transporter density in schizophrenic subjects with and without tardive dyskinesia.

Striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) binding potential (BP) was compared between schizophrenic subjects with and without tardive dyskinesia and controls. Although the groups were not statistically different in striatal BP, tardive subjects had apparently lower DAT density than non-tardive schizophrenic subjects. Significant and trend-level inverse correlations were found between DAT BP in the striatum, and especially the severity of negative symptom scores, but also cognitive, and depression/anxiety scores on the PANSS.

A follow-up study on three caries activity tests.

The purpose of this research was to study the efficacy of three CAT's (Dentocult SM, Dentocult LB and Dentobuff Strip) in revealing caries condition and predicting caries progress, and provide a reference for application by comparing the three tests. Oral condition and results of the three CAT's of 82 children aged 3 to 4 were recorded and followed up. The examination was checked again two years later.