Evaluating the Need for and Effect of Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty on Arteriovenous Fistulas by Using Total Recirculation Rate per Dialysis Session (“Clearance Gap”)

The functioning of an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) used for vascular access during hemodialysis has been assessed mainly by dilution methods. Although these techniques indicate the immediate recirculation rate, the results obtained may not correlate with Kt/V. In contrast, the clearance gap (CL-Gap) method provides the total recirculation rate per dialysis session and correlates well with Kt/V. We assessed the correlation between Kt/V and CL-Gap as well as the change in radial artery (RA) blood flow speed in the fistula before percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in 45 patients undergoing continuous hemodialysis. The dialysis dose during the determination of CL-Gap was 1.2 to 1.4 Kt/V. Patients with a 10% elevation or more than a 10% relative increase in CL-Gap underwent PTA (n＝45), and the values obtained for Kt/V and CL-Gap before PTA were compared with those obtained immediately afterward. The mean RA blood flow speed improved significantly (from 52.9 to 97.5cm/sec) after PTA, as did Kt/V (1.07 to 1.30) and CL-Gap (14.1% to －0.2%). A significant correlation between these differences was apparent (r＝－0.436 and p＝0.003). These findings suggest that calculating CL-Gap may be useful for determining when PTA is required and for assessing the effectiveness of PTA, toward obtaining better dialysis

Hibikino-Musashi@Home 2023 Team Description Paper

This paper describes an overview of the techniques of Hibikino-Musashi@Home, which intends to participate in the domestic standard platform league. The team has developed a dataset generator for the training of a robot vision system and an open-source development environment running on a human support robot simulator. The robot system comprises self-developed libraries including those for motion synthesis and open-source software works on the robot operating system. The team aims to realize a home service robot that assists humans in a home, and continuously attend the competition to evaluate the developed system. The brain-inspired artificial intelligence system is also proposed for service robots which are expected to work in a real home environment

Microtubule stabilizer reveals requirement of Ca2+-dependent conformational changes of microtubules for rapid coiling of haptonema in haptophyte algae

A haptonema is an elongated microtubule-based motile organelle uniquely present in haptophytes. The most notable and rapid movement of a haptonema is ‘coiling’, which occurs within a few milliseconds following mechanical stimulation in an unknown motor-independent mechanism. Here, we analyzed the coiling process in detail by high-speed filming and showed that haptonema coiling was initiated by left-handed twisting of the haptonema, followed by writhing to form a helix from the distal tip. On recovery from a mechanical stimulus, the helix slowly uncoiled from the proximal region. Electron microscopy showed that the seven microtubules in a haptonema were arranged mostly in parallel but that one of the microtubules often wound around the others in the extended state. A microtubule stabilizer, paclitaxel, inhibited coiling and induced right-handed twisting of the haptonema in the absence of Ca2+, suggesting changes in the mechanical properties of microtubules. Addition of Ca2+ resulted in the conversion of haptonematal twist into the planar bends near the proximal region. These results indicate that switching microtubule conformation, possibly with the aid of Ca2+-binding microtubule-associated proteins is responsible for rapid haptonematal coiling

Anxiety- and depression-like behavior in mice lacking the CD157/BST1 gene, a risk factor for Parkinson\u27s disease

金沢大学疾患モデル総合研究センターCD157, known as bone marrow stromal cell antigen-1, is a glycosylphosphatidylinositolanchored ADP-ribosyl cyclase that supports the survival and function of B-lymphocytes and hematopoietic or intestinal stem cells. Although CD157/Bst1 is a risk locus in Parkinson\u27s disease (PD), little is known about the function of CD157 in the nervous system and contribution to PD progression. Here, we show that no apparent motor dysfunction was observed in young knockout (CD157-/-) male mice under less aging-related effects on behaviors. CD157-/- mice exhibited anxiety-related and depression-like behaviors compared with wild-type mice. These behaviors were rescued through treatment with anti-psychiatric drugs and oxytocin. CD157 was weakly expressed in the amygdala and c-Fos immunoreactivity in the amygdala was less evident in CD157-/- mice than in wild-type mice. These results demonstrate for the first time that CD157 plays a role as a neuro-regulator and suggest a potential role in pre-motor symptoms in PD. © 2014 Lopatina, Yoshihara, Nishimura, Zhong, Akther, Fakhrul, Liang, Higashida, Sumi, Furuhara, Inahata, Huang, Koizumi, Yokoyama, Tsuji, Petugina, Sumarokov, Salmina, Hashida, Kitao, Hori, Asano, Kitamura, Kozaka, Shiba, Zhong, Xie, Sato, Ishihara and Higashida.CC-BY 4.

Biosynthesis of glycolate-based polyesters containing medium-chain-length 3-hydroxyalkanoates in recombinant Escherichia coli expressing engineered polyhydroxyalkanoate synthase

Glycolate(GL)-based polyesters were for the first time produced in the recombinant Escherichia coli fatty acid β-oxidation pathway reinforcing mutant LS5218, using extracellularly added GL as a monomer precursor. Cells expressing a Ser325Thr/Gln481Lys mutant of polyhydroxyalkanoate synthase (PhaC1STQK) from Pseudomonas sp. 61-3, propionyl-CoA transferase from Megasphaera elsdenii and enoyl-CoA hydratase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa grown on GL and dodecanoate were found to produce novel copolymers of GL with 3-hydroxyalkanoates (3HAs) (C4-C12), P(GL-co-3HA), with a weight-average molecular weight of 34000. The 1H NMR analyses of the copolymer revealed the incorporation of GL units into the polymer chain. This result demonstrates that PhaC1STQK polymerized glycolyl-CoA as a monomer substrate. Additionally, the novel lactate(LA)-based polyester P(LA-co-3HA) was produced by substituting GL with LA, indicating that the method is versatile and allows the production of a variety of biopolymers

Humidity-Resistive Optical NO Gas Sensor Devices Based on Cobalt Tetraphenylporphyrin Dispersed in Hydrophobic Polymer Matrix

We report on an optical nitrogen oxide (NO) gas sensor device using cobalt tetraphenylporphyrin (CoTPP) dispersed in three kinds of hydrophobic polymer film matrix (polystyrene (PSt), ethylcellulose (EC), and polycyclohexyl methacrylate (PCHMA)) to improve humidity resistance. Our approach is very effective because it allows us to achieve not only high humidity resistance, but also a more than sixfold increase in sensitivity compared with CoTPP film due to the high dispersion of CoTPP in the polymer film. The limit of detection was calculated as 33 ppb for the CoTPP-dispersed EC film, which is lower than that of CoTPP film (92 ppb)

Light scattering can detect the thermal-dependent conformational changes of proteins

New methods and tools (I), Poster Session, Abstract, Meeting Program of EABS & BSJ 200

Microtubule stabilizer reveals requirement of Ca2+-dependent conformational changes of microtubules for rapid coiling of haptonema in haptophyte algae

A haptonema is an elongated microtubule-based motile organelle uniquely present in haptophytes. The most notable and rapid movement of a haptonema is ‘coiling’, which occurs within a few milliseconds following mechanical stimulation in an unknown motor-independent mechanism. Here, we analyzed the coiling process in detail by high-speed filming and showed that haptonema coiling was initiated by left-handed twisting of the haptonema, followed by writhing to form a helix from the distal tip. On recovery from a mechanical stimulus, the helix slowly uncoiled from the proximal region. Electron microscopy showed that the seven microtubules in a haptonema were arranged mostly in parallel but that one of the microtubules often wound around the others in the extended state. A microtubule stabilizer, paclitaxel, inhibited coiling and induced right-handed twisting of the haptonema in the absence of Ca2+, suggesting changes in the mechanical properties of microtubules. Addition of Ca2+ resulted in the conversion of haptonematal twist into the planar bends near the proximal region. These results indicate that switching microtubule conformation, possibly with the aid of Ca2+-binding microtubule-associated proteins is responsible for rapid haptonematal coiling