Robust Image Matching under a Large Disparity

We present a new method for detecting point matches between two images without using any combinatorial search. Our strategy is to impose various local and non-local constraints as "soft" constraints by introducing their "confidence" measures via "mean-field approximations". The computation is a cascade of evaluating the confidence values and sorting according to them. In the end, we impose the "hard" epipolar constraint by RANSAC. We also introduce a model selection procedure to test if the image mapping can be regarded as a homography. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method by real image examples

Massive portal vein tumor thrombus from colorectal cancer without any metastatic nodules in the liver parenchyma

Metastatic lesions in the liver derived from colorectal cancer rarely invade the portal vein macroscopically. Portal vein tumor thrombus is commonly associated with hepatocellular carcinoma. Colorectal liver metastases are usually accompanied by microscopic tumor invasion into the intrahepatic portal vein, and the incidence of macroscopic tumor thrombus in the trunk of the portal vein is rare. Here, we provide unique appearance of metastatic colorectal cancer. To the best of our knowledge, macroscopically, the right portal vein filled with the tumor thrombus without any tumor in liver parenchyma has been quite rare

Development of high-throughput quantitative analytical method for l-cysteine-containing dipeptides by LC–MS/MS toward its fermentative production

l-Cysteine (Cys) is metabolically fundamental sulfur compound and important components in various cellular fac-tors. Interestingly, free-form Cys itself as a simple monomeric amino acid was recently shown to function in a novel antioxidative system (cysteine/cystine shuttle system) in Escherichia coli. However, as for Cys-containing dipeptides, the biological functions, effects, and even contents have still remained largely elusive. The potential functions should be a part of cellular redox system and important in basic and applied biology. For its progress, establishment of reli-able quantitation method is the first. However, such accurate analysis is unexpectedly difficult even in Cys, because thiol compounds convert through disulfide-exchange and air oxidation during sample preparation. Addressing this problem, in this study, thiol molecules like Cys-containing dipeptides were derivatized by using monobromobimane (thiol-specific alkylating reagent) and detected as S-bimanyl derivatives by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). Sample separation was processed with a C18 column (2.1 mm × 150 mm, 1.7 μm) and with water-acetonitrile gradient mobile phase containing 0.1% (v/v) formic acid at flow rate of 0.25 ml/min. The mass spectrometer was operated in the multiple reaction monitoring in positive/negative mode with electrospray ionization. The derivatization could indeed avoid the unfavorable reactions, namely, developed the method reflecting their correct contents on sampling. Furthermore, the method was successfully applied to monitoring Cys-containing dipeptides in E. coli Cys producer overexpressing bacD gene. This is the first report of the quantitative analysis of Cys-containing dipeptides, which should be useful for further study of fermentative production of Cys-containing dipeptides

Case Report Maxillary Swelling as the First Evidence of Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma is a malignant neoplasm of plasma cells characterized by proliferation of a single clone of abnormal immunoglobulin-secreting plasma cells. Since the amount of hemopoietic bone marrow is decreased in the maxilla, oral manifestations of multiple myeloma are less common in the maxilla than in the mandible. We report the case of 33-year-old Japanese man who presented with a mass in the right maxillary alveolar region. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance images showed a soft tissue mass in the right maxilla eroding the anterior and lateral walls of the maxillary sinus and extending into the buccal space. The biopsy results, imaging, and laboratory investigations led to the diagnosis of multiple myeloma. This case report suggests that oral surgeons and dentists should properly address oral manifestations as first indications of multiple myeloma

Transcriptional repression induces a slowly progressive atypical neuronal death associated with changes of YAP isoforms and p73

Transcriptional disturbance is implicated in the pathology of polyglutamine diseases, including Huntington's disease (HD). However, it is unknown whether transcriptional repression leads to neuronal death or what forms that death might take. We found transcriptional repression-induced atypical death (TRIAD) of neurons to be distinct from apoptosis, necrosis, or autophagy. The progression of TRIAD was extremely slow in comparison with other types of cell death. Gene expression profiling revealed the reduction of full-length yes-associated protein (YAP), a p73 cofactor to promote apoptosis, as specific to TRIAD. Furthermore, novel neuron-specific YAP isoforms (YAPΔCs) were sustained during TRIAD to suppress neuronal death in a dominant-negative fashion. YAPΔCs and activated p73 were colocalized in the striatal neurons of HD patients and mutant huntingtin (htt) transgenic mice. YAPΔCs also markedly attenuated Htt-induced neuronal death in primary neuron and Drosophila melanogaster models. Collectively, transcriptional repression induces a novel prototype of neuronal death associated with the changes of YAP isoforms and p73, which might be relevant to the HD pathology

A prospective study of the psychobehavioral factors responsible for a change from non-patient irritable bowel syndrome to IBS patient status

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To investigate non-patient irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) change to IBS and to determine factors predictive of the onset of IBS, individual biological factors, psychological factors, behavioral factors, and environmental factors were examined.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The subjects were 105 non-patient IBS (male = 59, female = 46, average age:21.49 ± 2.37), including 68 of the diarrhea-predominant type and 37 of the constipation-predominant type selected from 1,409 university and technical college students by use of a questionnaire based on the Rome II diagnostic criteria. The subjects were followed for three years, and various characteristics and IBS symptoms were serially observed (12 times). The IBS incidence rate was calculated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>During the three years, 37 non-patient IBS (35.24%) changed to IBS: 28 diarrhea-predominant type and 9 constipation-predominant type. All IBS symptoms disappeared in 26 non-patient IBS subjects (24.76%). According to quantification method II (discriminant analysis), seven factors (stressor, two kinds of stress coping styles, cognitive appraisal, eating habits, sleeping time, and psychologically abuse) were adopted as a predictive model for IBS incidence and were confirmed as predictive of IBS.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results of this research show that non-patient IBS is a changeable state that can change into IBS or persons without symptoms. Most of the non-patient IBS subjects who became asymptomatic had had symptoms for six months or less. Furthermore, the longer a non-patient IBS subject had symptoms, the higher the risk of a change to IBS became. The findings suggest the usefulness of identifying and approaching non-patient IBS as early as possible to prevent the onset of IBS. It must be noted that the persons surveyed in the present study had only the diarrhea-predominant and constipation-predominant types. Therefore, the findings of the present study are limited only these two types. Further study including the mixed type is needed.</p

Mutant huntingtin impairs Ku70-mediated DNA repair

Mutant huntingtin prevents interaction of the DNA damage repair complex component Ku70 with damaged DNA, blocking repair of double-strand breaks

In-Orbit Performance of the Hard X-Ray Detector on Borad Suzaku

The in-orbit performance and calibration of the Hard X-ray Detector (HXD) on board the X-ray astronomy satellite Suzaku are described. Its basic performances, including a wide energy bandpass of 10-600 keV, energy resolutions of {approx}4 keV (FWHM) at 40 keV and {approx}11% at 511 keV, and a high background rejection efficiency, have been confirmed by extensive in-orbit calibrations. The long-term gains of PIN-Si diodes have been stable within 1% for half a year, and those of scintillators have decreased by 5-20%. The residual non-X-ray background of the HXD is the lowest among past non-imaging hard X-ray instruments in energy ranges of 15-70 and 150-500 keV. We provide accurate calibrations of energy responses, angular responses, timing accuracy of the HXD, and relative normalizations to the X-ray CCD cameras using multiple observations of the Crab Nebula

Modified Bentall operation with bioprosthetic valve and Valsalva graft conduit:the "slit skirt" technique

We elucidated the efficacy of the slit skirt technique to prevent bleeding from the proximal anastomosis between the graft and aortic annulus. Between September 2008 and September 2014, 15 patients underwent a modified Bentall operation with the slit skirt technique at our institution. No patients had bleeding from the proximal anastomosis. No re-thoracotomy for bleeding was required. During midterm follow-up (median period, 21 months), no patient had pseudoaneurysms at the proximal suture line. We conclude that the slit skirt technique is useful to prevent bleeding from the proximal anastomosis after the Bentall operation