Improvement in organophosphorus hydrolase activity of cell surface-engineered yeast strain using Flo1p anchor system

Organophosphorus hydrolase (OPH) hydrolyzes organophosphorus esters. We constructed the yeast-displayed OPH using Flo1p anchor system. In this system, the N-terminal region of the protein was fused to Flo1p and the fusion protein was displayed on the cell surface. Hydrolytic reactions with paraoxon were carried out during 24 h of incubation of OPH-displaying cells at 30°C. p-Nitrophenol produced in the reaction mixture was detected by HPLC. The strain with highest activity showed 8-fold greater OPH activity compared with cells engineered using glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor system, and showed 20-fold greater activity than Escherichia coli using the ice nucleation protein anchor system. These results indicate that Flo1p anchor system is suitable for display of OPH in the cell surface-expression systems

Expression of centromere protein F (CENP-F) associated with higher FDG uptake on PET/CT, detected by cDNA microarray, predicts high-risk patients with primary breast cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Higher standardized uptake value (SUV) detected by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) correlates with proliferation of primary breast cancer. The purpose of this study is to identify specific molecules upregulated in primary breast cancers with a high SUV and to examine their clinical significance.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We compared mRNA expression profiles between 14 tumors with low SUVs and 24 tumors with high SUVs by cDNA microarray. We identified centromere protein F (CENP-F) and CDC6 were upregulated in tumors with high SUVs. RT-PCR and immunohistochemical analyses were performed to validate these data. Clinical implication of CENP-F and CDC6 was examined for 253 archival breast cancers by the tissue microarray.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The relative ratios of CENP-F and CDC6 expression levels to β-actin were confirmed to be significantly higher in high SUV tumors than in low SUV tumors (<it>p </it>= 0.027 and 0.025, respectively) by RT-PCR. In immunohistochemical analysis of 47 node-negative tumors, the CENP-F expression was significantly higher in the high SUV tumors (74%) than the low SUV tumors (45%) (<it>p </it>= 0.04), but membranous and cytoplasmic CDC6 expressions did not significantly differ between both groups (<it>p </it>= 0.9 each). By the tissue microarray, CENP-F (HR = 2.94) as well as tumor size (HR = 4.49), nodal positivity (HR = 4.1), and Ki67 (HR = 2.05) showed independent impact on the patients' prognosis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>High CENP-F expression, correlated with high SUV, was the prognostic indicators of primary breast cancer. Tumoral SUV levels may serve as a pretherapeutic indicator of aggressiveness of breast cancer.</p

Macrophagic myofascitis associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

Macrophagic myofascitis (MMF) is an unusual inflammatory myopathy characterized by muscle infiltration by macrophages and lymphocytes. Here, we describe a case of MMF which is associated with rheumatoid arthritis. A 53-year-old Japanese rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patient presented with focal tenderness of lower extremities. Magnetic resonance imaging showed evidence of myofascitis involving fascias of anterior tibialis muscle. Muscle biopsy showed a unique pathological pattern of MMF. MMF is known to be associated with vaccination containing aluminum. However, our case was not related to aluminum containing vaccinations and etiologies are unknown. The possible link needs to be discussed

リハビリテーション医療系大学生における学業および大学生活適応尺度の作成

現在、高等学校卒業者のおよそ50%が大学へ進学している一方、休学・中退者の数は増え続けており、社会問題化している。文科省は休学・退学の要因として、高校と大学教育のギャップが生む『学業不振』を挙げている。必ずしも学業に重きをおかない、多様な価値観を持った学生のグローバル化が背景にある中、リハビリテーション医療系大学生は、一方で明確に学業をクリアすることを求められるという特徴がある。本研究の目的は、リハビリテーション医療系大学生を対象にした、学業および大学生活適応尺度を作成することである。作業療法学教員2名によって精選された35項目に対して、学生122名に反応を求めた。探索的因子分析の結果、感情・心理因子(6項目)、積極性因子(6項目)、適合感因子(4項目)、他者性因子(3項目)、自己対処因子(3項目)の5因子構造が得られた。信頼性に関しては,Cronbach α係数は高値を示し、因子間相関ではすべての因子間に有意な正の相関が見られ、一定の内的整合性、信頼性は保たれていた。Recently about 50 percent of the new graduates from high school enroll to university. However, the number of temporary absent or drop out students from university continue to grow up, and it becomes a social issue now. Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology states that one of the factor of long term absence and dropping out from the university is poor academic performance that occurs from educational gap between high school and university . While the students with various senses of values are increasing, it\u27s important to give fixed academic performance for the student who try to be a rehabilitation related occupation. The purpose of this study is to develop the scale of relationship between academic performance and adaptation skill in university life for the OT students of Shijonawate&#8212;gakuen University.122 OT students were involved to answer the 35 questions which were selected by 2 OT teachers of the university. As a result of searching factor analysis, 5 factors which are consisted by feeling and psychological factor(6 items),initiative factor (6 items),feeling of conformity factor(4 items), other related factor(3 items) and self-cooping factors(3 items).The reliability by the Cronbach of coefficient shows high score and meaningful equilateral correlation among the factors also shows significantly high