The purpose of this study was to investigate methods for evaluating objectively the removability of three commercially available home reliners (Cushion Correct, Tafugurippu Pink A and Liodent Pink). ...After immersing each of the reliners in distilled water at 37ºC for 24 h, we compared their removability using the peel test with a finger, which was evaluated based on a visual analogue scale and the percentage of the residual area. An experimental rake-up test was also undertaken to quantify removability, evaluated based on the total amount of work required to remove it. The Tafugurippu Pink A product was easier to remove with a finger than the other two home reliner products, and required the least total amount of work to be removed in the experimental rake-up test. Furthermore, the rake-up test performed could possibly be used for objective evaluation of the removability of home reliner.
c-Maf, which is one of the large Maf transcription factors, can bind to Maf recognition element (MARE) and activates transcription of target genes. Although c-Maf is expressed in macrophages and ...directly regulates the expression of interleukin-10, detailed information regarding its function in the null mutant phenotype of tissue macrophages remain unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that c-Maf is specifically expressed in the F4/80 positive fetal liver and adult macrophages. The expression of F4/80, which is a tissue macrophage-specific seven trans-membrane receptor, was dramatically suppressed in the
c-Maf-deficient macrophage, whereas the expression of Mac-1 was not affected, suggesting that c-Maf is not necessary for the lineage commitment of macrophages. Luciferase reporter and EMSA showed that c-Maf directly regulates the expression of F4/80 by interacting with the half-MARE site of the
F4/80 promoter. These results suggest that c-Maf is required for the F4/80 expression in macrophages
in vivo.
c-Maf is one of the large Maf (musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma) transcription factors that belong to the activated protein-1 super family of basic leucine zipper proteins. Despite its overexpression ...in hematologic malignancies, the physiologic roles c-Maf plays in normal hematopoiesis have been largely unexplored. On a C57BL/6J background, c-Maf−/− embryos succumbed from severe erythropenia between embryonic day (E) 15 and E18. Flow cytometric analysis of fetal liver cells showed that the mature erythroid compartments were significantly reduced in c-Maf−/− embryos compared with c-Maf+/+ littermates. Interestingly, the CFU assay indicated there was no significant difference between c-Maf+/+ and c-Maf−/− fetal liver cells in erythroid colony counts. This result indicated that impaired definitive erythropoiesis in c-Maf−/− embryos is because of a non–cell-autonomous effect, suggesting a defective erythropoietic microenvironment in the fetal liver. As expected, the number of erythroblasts surrounding the macrophages in erythroblastic islands was significantly reduced in c-Maf−/− embryos. Moreover, decreased expression of VCAM-1 was observed in c-Maf−/− fetal liver macrophages. In conclusion, these results strongly suggest that c-Maf is crucial for definitive erythropoiesis in fetal liver, playing an important role in macrophages that constitute erythroblastic islands.
Spaceflight causes a decrease in skeletal muscle mass and strength. We set two murine experimental groups in orbit for 35 days aboard the International Space Station, under artificial earth-gravity ...(artificial 1 g; AG) and microgravity (μg; MG), to investigate whether artificial 1 g exposure prevents muscle atrophy at the molecular level. Our main findings indicated that AG onboard environment prevented changes under microgravity in soleus muscle not only in muscle mass and fiber type composition but also in the alteration of gene expression profiles. In particular, transcriptome analysis suggested that AG condition could prevent the alterations of some atrophy-related genes. We further screened novel candidate genes to reveal the muscle atrophy mechanism from these gene expression profiles. We suggest the potential role of Cacng1 in the atrophy of myotubes using in vitro and in vivo gene transductions. This critical project may accelerate the elucidation of muscle atrophy mechanisms.
Purpose
The aim of this study was to verify the utility of second-look ultrasound (US) using real-time virtual sonography (RVS), a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/US fusion technique, in identifying ...MRI-detected breast lesions with non-mass enhancement (NME).
Methods
Consecutive patients who had one or more NME lesions detected by MRI yet occult on the subsequent second-look US in conventional B (cB)-mode imaging were enrolled in the study between June 2015 and April 2020. Supine MRI of the lesions was performed and, using its data, second-look US using RVS was performed.
Results
Twenty patients with 21 NME lesions were included. The overall median lesion size on prone MRI was 23 mm (range, 5–63 mm). Supine MRI identified all the 21 NME lesions, and second-look US using RVS successfully detected 18 (86%) of them. RVS-guided biopsy was performed for histopathological evaluation, showing that nine of the 18 lesions were benign and the other nine malignant. Of the nine malignant lesions, two (22%) were invasive cancer and seven (78%) were ductal carcinoma in situ. In four of five patients who underwent prone MRI for preoperative evaluation, the diagnosis was benign and surgery was conducted as originally planned. In the other patient, the diagnosis was malignant and contralateral breast-conserving surgery was added. Three (14%) of the 21 NME lesions had no RVS correlates and were judged to be benign after 24-month follow-up.
Conclusion
The results suggest that second-look US using RVS helps identify MRI-detected NME lesions that are occult on cB-mode second-look US.
We designed a new caging group that can be photoactivated only in the presence of a non-endogenous enzyme when exposed to 405 nm light. Because cells or tissues can be genetically tagged by an ...exogenously expressed enzyme, this novel method can serve as a strategy for adding targeting abilities to photocaged compounds.
A new caging group was designed that can be photoactivated in the presence of an exogenously expressed enzyme.
Ribosome dimers are a translationally inactive form of ribosomes found in Escherichia coli and many other bacterial cells. In this study, we found that the 70S ribosomes of Bacillus subtilis ...dimerized during the early stationary phase and these dimers remained in the cytoplasm until regrowth was initiated. Ribosome dimerization during the stationary phase required the hpf gene, which encodes a homologue of the E. coli hibernation-promoting factor (Hpf). The expression of hpf was induced at an early stationary phase and its expression was observed throughout the rest of the experimental period, including the entire 6 h of the stationary phase. Ribosome dimerization followed the induction of hpf in WT cells, but the dimerization was impaired in cells harbouring a deletion in the hpf gene. Although the absence of ribosome dimerization in these Hpf-deficient cells did not affect their viability in the stationary phase, their ability to regrow from the stationary phase decreased. Thus, following the transfer of stationary-phase cells to fresh LB medium, Δhpf mutant cells grew slower than WT cells. This observed lag in growth of Δhpf cells was probably due to a delay in restoring their translational activity. During regrowth, the abundance of ribosome dimers in WT cells decreased with a concomitant increase in the abundance of 70S ribosomes and growth rate. These results suggest that the ribosome dimers, by providing 70S ribosomes to the cells, play an important role in facilitating rapid and efficient regrowth of cells under nutrient-rich conditions.
Abstract
Microgravity induces skeletal muscle atrophy, particularly in the soleus muscle, which is predominantly composed of slow-twitch myofibre (type I) and is sensitive to disuse. Muscle atrophy ...is commonly known to be associated with increased production of reactive oxygen species. However, the role of NRF2, a master regulator of antioxidative response, in skeletal muscle plasticity during microgravity-induced atrophy, is not known. To investigate the role of NRF2 in skeletal muscle within a microgravity environment, wild-type and
Nrf2-
knockout (KO) mice were housed in the International Space Station for 31 days. Gene expression and histological analyses demonstrated that, under microgravity conditions, the transition of type I (oxidative) muscle fibres to type IIa (glycolytic) was accelerated in
Nrf2
-KO mice without affecting skeletal muscle mass. Therefore, our results suggest that NRF2 affects myofibre type transition during space flight.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the intramammary distribution of MRI-detected mass and focus lesions that were difficult to identify with conventional B-mode ultrasound (US) alone. ...Consecutive patients with lesions detected with MRI but not second-look conventional B-mode US were enrolled between May 2015 and June 2023. Following an additional supine MRI examination, we performed third-look US using real-time virtual sonography (RVS), an MRI/US image fusion technique. We divided the distribution of MRI-detected mammary gland lesions as follows: center of the mammary gland versus other (superficial fascia, deep fascia, and atrophic mammary gland). We were able to detect 27 (84%) of 32 MRI-detected lesions using third-look US with RVS. Of these 27 lesions, 5 (19%) were in the center of the mammary gland and 22 (81%) were located in other areas. We were able to biopsy all 27 lesions; 8 (30%) were malignant and 19 (70%) were benign. Histopathologically, three malignant lesions were invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC; luminal A), one was IDC (luminal B), and four were ductal carcinoma in situ (low-grade). Malignant lesions were found in all areas. During this study period, 132 MRI-detected lesions were identified and 43 (33%) were located in the center of the mammary gland and 87 (64%) were in other areas. Also, we were able to detect 105 of 137 MRI-detected lesions by second-look conventional-B mode US and 38 (36%) were located in the center of the mammary gland and 67 (64%) were in other areas. In this study, 81% of the lesions identified using third-look US with RVS and 64% lesions detected by second-look conventional-B mode US were located outside the center of the mammary gland. We consider that adequate attention should be paid to the whole mammary gland when we perform third-look US using MRI/US fusion technique.
Bevacizumab (BEV) requires an adequate withdrawal period to avoid BEV-related complications during major surgery. However, the safety of BEV administration immediately after surgical placement of the ...central venous (CV) port, a minor surgery, is still unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether BEV is safe when administered early after CV port placement. We retrospectively evaluated 184 patients with advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) treated with a BEV-containing regimen and divided them into two groups according to the interval between CV port implantation and chemotherapy initiation, with the early administration group being ≤7 days and late administration group being >7 days. Complications were then compared between the two groups. The early-administration group was significantly older and had a higher rate of colon cancer than the late-administration group. Overall, 24 (13%) patients developed CV port-related complications. Male sex was a risk factor for complications (odds ratio OR, 3.154; 95% CI, 1.19-8.36). The two groups showed no significant difference in the frequency of complications (
= 0.84) or patient characteristics (after the inverse probability of treatment weighting,
= 0.537). In conclusion, the frequency of complications is not affected by the timing of BEV initiation after CV port implantation. Thus, early BEV administration after CV port placement is safe.
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