Pulmonary Artery Embolotherapy in a Patient with Type I Hepatopulmonary Syndrome after Liver Transplantation

Although liver transplantation (LT) is the only effective treatment option for hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS), the post-LT morbidity and mortality have been high for patients with severe HPS. We performed post-LT embolotherapy in a 10-year-old boy who had severe type I HPS preoperatively, but he failed to recover early from his hypoxemic symptoms after an LT. Multiple embolizations were then successfully performed on the major branches that formed the abnormal vascular structures. After the embolotherapy, the patient had symptomatic improvement and he was discharged without complications

Proteomic analysis of pregnancy-related proteins from pig uterus endometrium during pregnancy

Many important molecular events associated with implantation and development occur within the female reproductive tract, especially within the uterus endometrium, during pregnancy periods. The endometrium includes the mucosal lining of the uterus, which provides a suitable site for implantation and development of a fertilized egg and fetus. To date, the molecular cascades in the uterus endometrium during pregnancy periods in pigs have not been elucidated fully. In this study, we compared the functional regulated proteins in the endometrium during pregnancy periods with those in non-pregnant conditions and investigated changes in expression patterns during pregnancy (days 40, 70, and 93) using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and western blotting. The functional regulated proteins were identified and discovered from differentially expressed proteins in the uterus endometrium during pregnancy. We discovered 820 protein spots in a proteomic analysis of uterus endometrium tissues with 2-DE gels. We identified 63 of the 98 proteins regulated differentially among non-pregnant and pregnant tissues (matched and unmatched spots). Interestingly, 10 of these 63 proteins are development-, cytoskeleton- and chaperon-related proteins such as transferrin, protein DJ-1, transgelin, galectin-1, septin 2, stathmin 1, cofilin 1, fascin 1, heat shock protein (HSP) 90β and HSP 27. The specific expression patterns of these proteins in the endometrium during pregnancy were confirmed by western blotting. Our results suggest that the expressions of these genes involved in endometrium function and endometrium development from early to late gestation are associated with the regulation of endometrium development for maintaining pregnancy

A proteomic analysis of differentiating dopamine neurons derived from human embryonic stem cells

Human embryonic stem cells (hESC) are being exploited for potential use in cell transplantation due to their capacity for self-renewal and pluripotency. Dopamine (DA) neurons derived from hESC represent a promising source of cell replacement therapy for Parkinson’s disease (PD). While gene expression on the transcriptome level has been extensively studied, limited information is available for the proteome-level changes associated with DA neuron differentiation. Here we analyzed the proteome of differentiating DA neurons to search for the potential biomarkers to assess the efficiency of differentiation. Although the proteome profile of DA neurons did not exhibit significant changes, a number of cytoskeletal proteins including nuclear lamin, tropomyosin 1, and myosin light chain 1 were specifically up-regulated during differentiation. Expression analysis of the respective genes was also consistent with the proteome results. In addition, these differentially expressed proteins form protein interaction network with several PD-related proteins suggesting that they may play roles in PD pathogenesis as well as the maturation of DA neurons

Enhancing the Robustness and Efficiency in the Production of Medium Mn Steels by Al Addition

The narrow process window during intercritical annealing and discontinuous yielding have limited the commercialization of medium Mn steels. In this study, a double-annealing process based on the commercial continuous annealing line is proposed. The cold-rolled medium Mn steels were first fully austenitized and quenched during the first annealing, followed by intercritical annealing for reverted austenite transformation. The microstructure of duplex lath-shaped austenite and ferrite is produced and steel exhibits a desirable continuous yielding during tensile deformation. Al is added into the medium Mn steel to enlarge the process window and to improve the partitioning efficiency of Mn. The produced steel is more robust with temperature fluctuation during the industrial process due to the enlarged intercritical region. Mn partitioning is more efficient owing to the elevated annealing temperature, which results in the improvement of ductility in the Al-added steel with increased austenite stability

Rapid Imaging of Latent Fingerprints Using Biocompatible Fluorescent Silica Nanoparticles

Fluorescent silica nanoparticles (FSNPs) are synthesized through the Stöber method by incorporating silane-modified organic dye molecules. The modified fluorescent organic dye molecule is able to be prepared by allylation and hydrosilylation reactions. The optical properties of as-prepared FSNPs are shown the similar optical properties of PR254A (allylated Pigment Red 254) and have outstanding photostability. The polyvinyl­pyrrolidone (PVP) is introduced onto the surface of FSNP to enhance the binding affinity of PVP-coated FSNP for latent fingerprints (LFPs) detection. The simple preparation and easy control of surface properties of FSNPs show potential as a fluorescent labeling material for enhanced latent fingerprint detection on hydrophilic and hydrophobic substrates in forensic science for individual identification

Serine 347 Phosphorylation by JNKs Negatively Regulates OCT4 Protein Stability in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells

Summary: The POU transcription factor OCT4 is critical for maintaining the undifferentiated state of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and generating induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), but its precise mechanisms of action remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated the role of OCT4 phosphorylation in the biological functions of ESCs. We observed that c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) directly interacted with and phosphorylated OCT4 at serine 347, which inhibited the transcriptional activity of OCT4. Moreover, phosphorylation of OCT4 induced binding of FBXW8, which reduced OCT4 protein stability and enhanced its proteasomal degradation. We also found that the mutant OCT4 (S347A) might delay the differentiation process of mouse ESCs and enhance the efficiency of generating iPSCs. These results demonstrated that OCT4 phosphorylation on serine 347 by JNKs plays an important role in its stability, transcriptional activities, and self-renewal of mouse ESCs. : In this article, Bae and colleagues show that JNKs directly interact with and phosphorylate OCT4 at serine 347. This phosphorylation inhibits the transcriptional activity and stability of OCT4 in mouse ESCs. The mutant OCT4 (S347A) might delay the differentiation process of mouse ESCs and enhance the efficiency of generating iPSCs. Keywords: OCT4, phosphorylation, JNK, FBXW8, ubiquitination, self-renewal, embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cell

A Small Molecule Inhibitor of the β-Catenin-TCF4 Interaction Suppresses Colorectal Cancer Growth In Vitro and In Vivo

Colorectal cancer is associated with aberrant activation of the Wnt pathway. β-Catenin plays essential roles in the Wnt pathway by interacting with T-cell factor 4 (TCF4) to transcribe oncogenes. We synthesized a small molecule, referred to as HI-B1, and evaluated signaling changes and biological consequences induced by the compound. HI-B1 inhibited β-catenin/TCF4 luciferase activity and preferentially caused apoptosis of cancer cells in which the survival is dependent on β-catenin. The formation of the β-catenin/TCF4 complex was disrupted by HI-B1 due to the direct interaction of HI-B1 with β-catenin. Colon cancer patient-derived xenograft (PDX) studies showed that a tumor with higher levels of β-catenin expression was more sensitive to HI-B1 treatment, compared to a tumor with lower expression levels of β-catenin. The different sensitivities of PDX tumors to HI-B1 were dependent on the β-catenin expression level and potentially could be further exploited for biomarker development and therapeutic applications against colon cancer