FT-NMR Detection of 45Sc, 49Ti and 93Nb in TiO2 Single Crystal

In order to determine the electric quadrupole moment of the short-lived β-emitter 41Sc from the quadrupole coupling constant in TiO2 , we measured the field gradient by detecting the Fourier-Transformed-NMR of stable isotope 45Sc doped in TiO2. Also, in order to study the electronic structure of impurities systematically, EFGs were measured for 45Sc, 49Ti and 93Nb in a TiO2 ingle single crystal.

Quadrupole Moments of the 40Ca Core Plus One Nucleon Nuclei 41Sc and 41Ca

The electric-field-gradient (EFG) and anisotropic chemical shift of 45Sc(Iπ = 7/2- , stable) in TiO2 crystal were determined by detecting the FT-NMR of 45Sc(0.5 atm% of Ti in TiO2) doped in TiO2 crystal at a high field of 7.0 T and 9.4 T. Using the EFG, an old β-NQR spectrum of 41Sc was reanalyzed to obtain (41Sc)/ which was combined with the renewed (45Sc) = -(23.6 0.2) fm2 to obtain (41Sc; Iπ= 7/2- , T1/2 = 0.596 s) = (15.6±0.3) fm2. Also the atomic EFG in Ca was recalculated, using a finite-element multi configuration Hartree-Fock method to renew Q(43Ca). Finally using the known hyperfine constants of 41Ca, the (41Ca) value has been renewed

Electric Quadrupole Interactions of the Short-Lived β-Emitter 12N in Insulator Crystals (12N Implanted in Single Crystal TiO2)

The electronic structure of nitrogen atoms as impurities in an ionic TiO2 crystal has been investigated by analyzing electric field gradients (EFGs) measured by use of short-lived β-emitting 12N implant-ed following nuclear reactions. Conventional β-NMR and its modification, suitable for the detection of quadrupole effects in the NMR spectra, were used for the investigation of hyperfine interactions of 12N located in substitutional sites of O atoms and interstitial sites in the crystal. In order to deduce absolute values of the EFGs from the obtained eqQ/h, the quadrupole moment of 12N has been determined from the NMR detection of 12N implanted in BN(hexagonal) crystal. Here the EFG at the N atom in BN was measured by detecting the FT-NMR of 14N in the crystal. The EFGs in TiO2 are compared with the theoretical predictions based on the ab initio band-structure calculation in the framework of the KKR method.

Hydrogen-induced structural transformation of AuCu nanoalloys probed by synchrotron X-ray diffraction techniques

In situ X-ray diffraction measurements reveal that the transformation of a AuCu nanoalloy from a face-centered-cubic to an L10 structure is accelerated under a hydrogen atmosphere. The structural transformation rate for the AuCu nanoalloy under hydrogen above 433 K was found to be 100 times faster than that in a vacuum, which is the first quantitative observation of hydrogen-induced ordering of nanoalloys.

Value of peritoneal cytology in potentially resectable pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND

Peritoneal lavage cytology (CY) is used in the diagnosis and staging of various cancers. The clinical significance of positive cytology results in patients with pancreatic cancer is yet to be determined.

METHODS

Peritoneal washing samples were collected from consecutive patients with pancreatic cancer between July 1991 and December 2012. The correlations between cytology results, clinicopathological parameters and recurrence patterns were evaluated. The prognostic impact of CY status, regarding resectability and the effectiveness of adjuvant chemotherapy, were analysed.

RESULTS

Of 523 included patients, 390 underwent resection. Patients with tumours at least 2 cm in diameter were more likely to have CY+ status than patients with tumours smaller than 2 cm (48 of 312 versus 3 of 78 respectively; P = 0·005) and there was a significant correlation between CY+ status and tumour invasion of the anterior pancreatic capsule (43 of 276 versus 8 of 113 with no invasion of the capsule; P = 0·030). Although the overall survival of patients with resected CY+ tumours was worse than that of patients with resected CY- tumours, it was significantly better than the survival of unresected patients regardless of CY status. Multivariable analysis of all patients who had pancreatectomy did not identify CY+ as an independent prognostic factor. Patients with CY+ tumours tended to develop peritoneal metastasis more often than those with CY- tumours, although not significantly so. The median survival time of 34 patients with resected CY+ tumours who received adjuvant chemotherapy was better than that of 17 patients who had surgery alone, although this was not statistically significant (15·3 versus 10·0 months; P = 0·057).

CONCLUSION

CY+ status is not clinically equivalent to gross peritoneal metastasis in patients with pancreatic cancer. Curative resection is still recommended regardless of CY status.

Development of a new measurement system to detect selectively volatile organic compounds derived from the human body

A new concept expired gas measurement system used double cold-trap method was developed. The system could detect selectively volatile organic compound (VOC) derived from the human body. The gas chromatography (GC) profiles of healthy volunteer's expired gas collected by our system were analyzed. As a result, 60 VOCs were detected from the healthy volunteer's expired gas. We examined 14 VOCs among them further, which could be converted to the concentration from the GC profiles. The concentration of almost VOCs decreased when the subjects inspired purified air compared with the atmosphere. On the other hand, isoprene was almost the same. It was strongly suggested that these VOCs were derived from the human body because the concentration of these VOCs in the atmosphere were nearly zero. Expired gas of two sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) patients were analyzed as preliminary study. As a result of the study, the concentration of some VOCs contained in the expired gas of the SAS patients showed higher value than a healthy controls.

Fully automatic rapid DNA Ploidy Analyzer for intraoperative rapid diagnosis support

Frozen section studies are a useful method to rapidly define tumor malignancy and identify the extent of surgical resection. However, diagnosis with a frozen section is qualitative and sometimes difficult. Therefore a quantitative method for grading tumors is desired. We have already reported a technique of intraoperative flow cytometry (iFC) that supports intraoperative histopathological examination of frozen sections. In this study, we report an advanced system named "Fully Automatic Rapid DNA Ploidy Analyzer" with a tissue pretreatment function and a freeze-dried reagent kit for cell staining. To evaluate our system, we analyzed samples from glioma patients who underwent open surgery for brain tumors. We observed obvious difference of the Malignancy Index (MI) between neoplastic and perilesional brain tissue (26.0 ±22.1% and 4.1 ±2.5%, respectively, P<0.001). Cut-off level for identification of the tumor in the biopsy specimen was 6.8% which provided 86% sensitivity and 81% specificity. We also obtained a good correlation between the MI and histological grade (WHO grading). Our new system also enabled finishing the process from sample preparation to the end of analysis in ten minutes or less. These results demonstrate that our fully automatic rapid DNA ploidy analyzer is feasible for rapid determination of glioma presence in a surgical biopsy sample.

Elevated cytokine responses to Vibrio harveyi infection in the Japanese pufferfish (Takifugu rubripes) treated with Lactobacillus paracasei spp. paracasei (06TCa22) isolated from the Mongolian dairy product

With the aim of evaluating the effect of a Mongolian dairy product derived Lactobacillus paracasei spp. paracasei (strain 06TCa22) (Lpp) on the cytokine-mediated immune responses to Vibrio harveyi infection, we examined 16 cytokine expressions in the Japanese pufferfish, Takifugu rubripes. Fish were orally treated with the heat-killed Lpp at 1 mg g(-1) body weight d(-1) for 3 days. At 24 h posttreatment, fish were infected by an intramuscular injection of 0.1 mL V. harveyi bacterial suspension (10(8) cfu mL(-1)). Additionally, superoxide anion production (SAP) and phagocytic activity (PA) of head kidney cells were assessed during 120 h postinfection period. Significant up-regulation of pro-inflammatory (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17A/F-3, TNF-α and TNF-N), cell-mediated immune inducing (IL-12p35, IL-12p40 and IL-18), antiviral/intra-cellular pathogen killing (I-IFN-1 and IFN-γ), anti-inflammatory (IL-10) and lymphocyte agonistic (IL-2, IL-7, IL-15, IL-21 and TGF-β1) cytokines was observed in the treated fish compared to control ones during the pathogen infection. Furthermore, significantly increased SAP and PA (P < 0.01; 0.05) were recorded in the treated fish compared to untreated fish. These results suggest the beneficial role of Lpp in enhancement of cytokine-mediated immunity in the Japanese pufferfish against V. harveyi infection and application of this product as a potential fish immunostimulant.

A novel therapeutic molecule against HTLV-1 infection targeting provirus

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), which causes adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) in humans, establishes a life-long latent infection. Current therapies are not very effective against HTLV-1-associated disorders. A novel therapeutic approach may help to combat HTLV-1 infection. A molecular therapy that targets the proviral genome is favorable because the therapeutic effect occurs specifically in HTLV-1-infected cells, regardless of whether they express viral genes. In this proof-of-concept study, we developed a therapeutic molecule based on zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) to achieve this goal. We designed a ZFN that specifically recognized conserved region of HTLV-1 long terminal repeat (LTR) and introduced it into various HTLV-1-positive human T-cell lines, including HTLV-1-transformed and ATL-derived cell lines. The ZFN disrupted the promoter function of HTLV-1 LTR and specifically killed HTLV-1-infected cells. We also showed a potential approach of this therapeutic molecule to remove the proviral genome from HTLV-1-infected cells, something that has not been possible before. The therapeutic effect of ZFN was confirmed in an in vivo model of ATL. This strategy may form the basis of a therapy that can eradicate HTLV-1 infection. Similar approaches can be used to target other malignancy-associated viruses.

Proteomics-based identification of novel proteins in temporal tendons of patients with masticatory muscle tendon--aponeurosis hyperplasia

Masticatory muscle tendon-aponeurosis hyperplasia (MMTAH) is a new disease associated with limited mouth opening that is often misdiagnosed as a temporomandibular disorder; subsequently, patients are mistakenly treated with irreversible operations. Due to the poor presentation and characterization of symptoms, the underlying pathological conditions remain unclear. We have previously conducted a proteomic analysis of tendons derived from one MMTAH subject and one facial deformity subject using two-dimensional fluorescence difference gel electrophoresis and liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. However, the results were obtained for only one subject. The aim of the present study was to confirm the expression of specific molecules in tendon tissues from multiple subjects with MMTAH by applying two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Of the 19 proteins identified in tendons from both MMTAH and facial deformity patients, fibrinogen fragment D and beta-crystallin A4 were up-regulated, whereas myosin light chain 4 was down-regulated in MMTAH. We also found fibrinogen to be expressed robustly in tendon tissues of MMTAH patients. Our data provide the possibility that the distinctive expression of these novel proteins is associated with the pathology of MMTAH.

Crystal structure and enzymatic activity of an ADAMTS-13 mutant with the East Asian-specific P475S polymorphism

BACKGROUND

An East Asian-specific P475S polymorphism in the gene encoding ADAMTS-13 causes an approximately 16% reduction in plasma ADAMTS-13 activity.

OBJECTIVES

To demonstrate the impact of this dysfunctional polymorphism by characterizing the structure and activity of the P475S mutant protein.

METHODS

We determined the crystal structure of the P475S mutant of ADAMTS-13-DTCS (DTCS-P475S, residues 287-685) and compared it with the wild-type structure. We determined the enzymatic parameters of ADAMTS-13-MDTCS (residues 75-685) and MDTCS-P475S, and further examined the effects of denaturants and reaction temperature on their activity. We also examined the cleavage of shear-treated von Willebrand factor (VWF) by MDTCS-P475S.

RESULTS

MDTCS-P475S showed a reaction rate similar to that of wild-type MDTCS, but showed two-fold lower affinity for the peptidyl substrate, indicating that the Pro475-containing V-loop (residues 474-481) in the CA domain is a substrate-binding exosite. Structural analysis showed that the conformation of the V-loop was significantly different in DTCS-P475S and the wild type, where no obvious interactions of Ser475 with other residues were observed. This explains the higher susceptibility of the enzymatic activity of MDTCS-P475S to reaction environments such as denaturants and high temperature. MDTCS-P475S can moderately cleave shear-treated VWF.

CONCLUSIONS

We have provided structural evidence that the P475S polymorphism in ADAMTS-13 leads to increased local structural instability, resulting in lowered affinity for the substrate without changing the reaction rate. The moderate activity of ADAMTS-13-P475S for shear-treated VWF is sufficient to prevent thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) onset.

Cytokine responses in the Japanese pufferfish (Takifugu rubripes) head kidney cells induced with heat-killed probiotics isolated from the Mongolian dairy products

Cytokine responses in the Japanese pufferfish (Takifugu rubripes) head kidney (HK) cells to heat-killed lactic acid bacteria probiotics isolated from the Mongolian dairy products were investigated by transcriptomic examination. The HK cells were incubated with two heat-killed bacteria, namely Lactobacillus paracasei spp. paracasei (strain 06TCa22) and L. plantarum (strain 06CC2) and the responses of 16 cytokine genes at 0 (control), 1, 4, 8, 12, 24 and 48 h post-stimulation were assayed by multiplex RT-PCR analysis (GenomeLab Genetic Analysis System, GeXPS; Beckman Coulter, Inc.). The 16 genes included in the assay were pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17A/F-3, TNF-α and TNF-N), cell-mediated immune regulators (IL-12p35, IL-12p40 and IL-18), antiviral (I-IFN-1 and IFN-γ) and other regulatory (IL-2, IL-7, IL-15, IL-21, IL-10 and TGF-β1) cytokines. Despite the differences in the transcriptional profiles, expression of all the cytokines tested here was significantly elevated by both the probiotic bacterial stimulants compared with the unstimulated control. Therefore, this in vitro study has demonstrated the modulation of cytokine defense mechanisms in the HK cells by the two heat-killed probiotics indicating their potentiality as novel immunostimulants to fish. However, strain-dependent varied expression of important cytokines (cell-mediated immune regulators, antiviral and anti-inflammatory cytokines) suggests better efficacy of L. paracasei spp. paracasei strain as fish immunostimulant. Further in vivo studies to elucidate the cytokine regulation networks will validate our present observations. A careful evaluation of ant-inflammatory properties may be undertaken using single strain to affirm the immunostimulatory capability. Moreover, application timings and frequency to assess the longevity of immunostimulant effects and to make the application cost-effective need to be evaluated before any practical use in aquaculture.

Flow cytometry as a diagnostic method for colorectal cancer

Intraoperative histopathological investigation plays an important role during surgery. Since the pathologist performs a diagnosis with a limited level of specimen, it may sometimes be difficult to reach a correct diagnosis. To improve the accuracy of the diagnosis, quantitative data from the whole specimen are helpful. It said that the detection capability for DNA aneuploidy (aneuploidy) is low for solid cancer compared with hematopoietic organ cancer. A new method that includes fresh tissue is introduced, the histogram from cancer tissue (cancer) and normal tissue (normal) is compared, new classification criteria are introduced, the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) pattern (FFT pattern) obtained from FFT on the histogram is analyzed, and the area under the FFT pattern of the histogram (AUC) is compared. This method, named the "FFT-AUC method", which includes comparisons of AUC and the FFT pattern, shows good results.

New automatic cell isolation system for flow cytometry: cell isolation unit and staining reagent kit

Flow cytometry is well-known cell analysis method and useful to gain quantitative information from cells in blood, however, it is not widely used for solid tissues in clinical settings. This is partly because it takes a long time to prepare samples and the operation can be complicated. To resolve these problems, we developed a new automatic cell isolation system which consists of cell isolation unit and staining reagent kit specialized for flow cytometry. With this new system, cell isolation can be done more rapidly and easily. By using this method, we could determine optimum condition to disintegrate porcine colon tissue and stain cells stably in 6 minutes. This result indicates that our method can provide analysis data within 10 minutes. We also evaluated our method in colorectal cancer patients, and the result was promising. All the data suggests that this method can support and facilitate rapid diagnosis.

Morphological and topological transformation of membrane vesicles

Liposomes are micro-compartments made of lipid bilayer membranes withcharacteristics quite similar to those of biological membranes. To formartificial cell-like structures, we generated liposomes that containedsubunit proteins of cytoskeletons: tubulin or actin. Spherical liposomeswere transformed into bipolar or cell-like shapes by mechanical forcesgenerated by the polymerization of encapsulated subunits of microtubules.Disk- or dumbbell-shaped liposomes were developed by the polymerizationof encapsulated actin. Dynamic processes of morphological transformationsof liposomes were visualized by high intensity dark-field lightmicroscopy.Topological changes, such as fusion and division of membrane vesicles,play an essential role in cellular activities. To investigate themechanism of these processes, we visualized in real time the liposomesundergoing topological transformation. A variety of novel topologicaltransformations were found, including the opening-up of liposomes and thedirect expulsion of inner vesicles.