Liquid Metal-Based Multifunctional Micropipette for 4D Single Cell Manipulation.

A novel manufacturing approach to fabricate liquid metal-based, multifunctional microcapillary pipettes able to provide electrodes with high electrical conductivity for high-frequency electrical stimulation and measurement is proposed. 4D single cell manipulation is realized by applying multifrequency, multiamplitude, and multiphase electrical signals to the microelectrodes near the pipette tip to create 3D dielectrophoretic trap and 1D electrorotation, simultaneously. Functions such as single cell trapping, patterning, transfer, and rotation are accomplished. Cell viability and multiday proliferation characterization has confirmed the biocompatibility of this approach. This is a simple, low-cost, and fast fabrication process that requires no cleanroom and photolithography step to manufacture 3D microelectrodes and microchannels for easy access to a wide user base for broad applications

Structural basis of water-mediated cis Watson–Crick/Hoogsteen base-pair formation in non-CpG methylation

Non-CpG methylation is associated with several cellular processes, especially neuronal development and cancer, while its effect on DNA structure remains unclear. We have determined the crystal structures of DNA duplexes containing -CGCCG- regions as CCG repeat motifs that comprise a non-CpG site with or without cytosine methylation. Crystal structure analyses have revealed that the mC:G base-pair can simultaneously form two alternative conformations arising from non-CpG methylation, including a unique water-mediated cis Watson–Crick/Hoogsteen, (w)cWH, and Watson–Crick (WC) geometries, with partial occupancies of 0.1 and 0.9, respectively. NMR studies showed that an alternative conformation of methylated mC:G base-pair at non-CpG step exhibits characteristics of cWH with a syn-guanosine conformation in solution. DNA duplexes complexed with the DNA binding drug echinomycin result in increased occupancy of the (w)cWH geometry in the methylated base-pair (from 0.1 to 0.3). Our structural results demonstrated that cytosine methylation at a non-CpG step leads to an anti→syntransition of its complementary guanosine residue toward the (w)cWH geometry as a partial population of WC, in both drug-bound and naked mC:G base pairs. This particular geometry is specific to non-CpG methylated dinucleotide sites in B-form DNA. Overall, the current study provides new insights into DNA conformation during epigenetic regulation

Caffeine Mitigates Lung Inflammation Induced by Ischemia-Reperfusion of Lower Limbs in Rats

Reperfusion of ischemic limbs can induce inflammation and subsequently cause acute lung injury. Caffeine, a widely used psychostimulant, possesses potent anti-inflammatory capacity. We elucidated whether caffeine can mitigate lung inflammation caused by ischemia-reperfusion (IR) of the lower limbs. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated to receive IR, IR plus caffeine (IR + Caf group), sham-operation (Sham), or sham plus caffeine (n=12 in each group). To induce IR, lower limbs were bilaterally tied by rubber bands high around each thigh for 3 hours followed by reperfusion for 3 hours. Caffeine (50 mg/kg, intraperitoneal injection) was administered immediately after reperfusion. Our histological assay data revealed characteristics of severe lung inflammation in the IR group and mild to moderate characteristic of lung inflammation in the IR + Caf group. Total cells number and protein concentration in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of the IR group were significantly higher than those of the IR + Caf group (P<0.001 and P=0.008, resp.). Similarly, pulmonary concentrations of inflammatory mediators (tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, and macrophage inflammatory protein-2) and pulmonary myeloperoxidase activity of the IR group were significantly higher than those of the IR + Caf group (all P<0.05). These data clearly demonstrate that caffeine could mitigate lung inflammation induced by ischemia-reperfusion of the lower limbs

A False Positive 18F-FDG PET/CT Scan Caused by Breast Silicone Injection

We present here the case of a 40-year-old woman with a greater than 10 year prior history of bilateral breast silicone injection and saline bag implantation. Bilateral palpable breast nodules were observed, but the ultrasound scan was suboptimal and the magnetic resonance imaging showed no gadolinium-enhanced tumor. The 18F-FDG PET/CT scan showed a hypermetabolic nodule in the left breast with a 30% increase of 18F-FDG uptake on the delayed imaging, and this mimicked breast cancer. She underwent a left partial mastectomy and the pathology demonstrated a siliconoma

Is the level of serum lactate dehydrogenase a potential biomarker for glucose monitoring with type 2 diabetes mellitus?

IntroductionType 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic disorder due to defects in insulin secretion or insulin resistance leading to the dysfunction and damage of various organs. To improve the clinical evaluation of short-term blood glycemic variability monitoring, it is critical to identify another blood cell status and nutritional status biomarker that is less susceptible to interference. This study identifies the significance of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level among T2DM patients treated in outpatient clinics and investigates the relationship of LDH level with other variables.MethodsThis study comprised 72 outpatients with T2DM over 20 years of age. Blood samples were collected followed by a hematological analysis of serum glycated albumin (GA), LDH, fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, C-peptide, and insulin antibodies (insulin Ab).ResultsSerum LDH level was significantly correlated with GA (p &lt; 0.001), C-peptide (p = 0.04), insulin Ab (p = 0.03), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels (p = 0.04). Hence, we performed a linear regression analysis of hematological markers. GA (p &lt; 0.001, r2 = 0.45) and insulin Ab (p &lt; 0.001, r2 = 0.40) were significantly associated with LDH level. Then, we classified patients into low (&lt;200 U/L) and high (≥200 U/L) serum LDH level groups, respectively. GA (p &lt; 0.001), C-peptide (p = 0.001), and TSH (p = 0.03) showed significant differences in patients with high LDH levels compared with those in patients with low LDH levels.ConclusionIn conclusion, we suggested that LDH level was independent of long-term but associated with short-term blood glucose monitoring. The results indicated that changes in serum GA induced cell damage and the abnormal elevation of the serum level of LDH may occur simultaneously with glycemic variability. It has been reported that many biomarkers are being used to observe glucose variability in T2DM. However, LDH could provide a more convenient and faster evaluation of glycemic variability in T2DM

A Report on Visit and Observation to Taipei Medical University

本 学 の 看 護 栄 養 学 部 に お い て は，2019年 に 台 北 医 学 大 学（Taipei Medical University：TMU）と国際交流のための協定が締結された。看護学科のカリキュラムでは一般教養の文化と医療分野で異文化研修Ⅲ（台湾）が配置され，令和７年度から開始となる。また，TMU と本学との共同による国際研究を推進することが期待されている。今回は異文化研修Ⅲ（台湾）の科目プログラムの具体的な内容および国際研究の可能性を検討することを目的にTMU を視察した。今回の視察では，①TMU 看護学部関係者とのCollaboration Meeting，②病院見学，③コミュニティセンター見学を行った。①TMU 看護学部関係者とのCollaboration Meeting において，異文化研修および共同研究は提案した内容に理解が得られた。今後の課題として，異文化研修では研修における病院や施設の見学の目的，教育方法の明確化，研究では，価値観の違いや言語の問題などが挙げられた。departmental bulletin pape