Three-dimensional iodine mapping quantified by dual-energy CT for predicting programmed death-ligand 1 expression in invasive pulmonary adenocarcinoma

Yamagata K., Yanagawa M., Hata A., et al. Three-dimensional iodine mapping quantified by dual-energy CT for predicting programmed death-ligand 1 expression in invasive pulmonary adenocarcinoma. Scientific Reports 14, 18310 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-69470-9.We examined the association between texture features using three-dimensional (3D) io-dine density histogram on delayed phase of dual-energy CT (DECT) and expression of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) using immunostaining methods in non-small cell lung cancer. Consecutive 37 patients were scanned by DECT. Unenhanced and enhanced (3 min delay) images were obtained. 3D texture analysis was performed for each nodule to obtain 7 features (max, min, median, mean, standard deviation, skewness, and kurtosis) from iodine density mapping and extracellular volume (ECV). A pathologist evaluated a tumor proportion score (TPS, %) using PD-L1 immunostaining: PD-L1 high (TPS ≥ 50%) and low or negative expression (TPS < 50%). Associations between PD-L1 expression and each 8 parameter were evaluated using logistic regression analysis. The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that skewness and ECV were independent indicators associated with high PD-L1 expression (skewness: odds ratio [OR] 7.1 [95% CI 1.1, 45.6], p = 0.039; ECV: OR 6.6 [95% CI 1.1, 38.4], p = 0.037). In the receiver-operating characteristic analysis, the area under the curve of the combination of skewness and ECV was 0.83 (95% CI 0.67, 0.93) with sensitivity of 64% and specificity of 96%. Skewness from 3D iodine density histogram and ECV on dual energy CT were significant factors for predicting PD-L1 expression

Association between interstitial lung abnormality and mortality in patients with esophageal cancer

The version of record of this article, first published in Japanese Journal of Radiology, is available online at Publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11604-024-01563-x.Purpose: To investigate the relationship between interstitial lung abnormalities (ILAs) and mortality in patients with esophageal cancer and the cause of mortality. Materials and methods: This retrospective study investigated patients with esophageal cancer from January 2011 to December 2015. ILAs were visually scored on baseline CT using a 3-point scale (0 = non-ILA, 1 = indeterminate for ILA, and 2 = ILA). ILAs were classified into subcategories of non-subpleural, subpleural non-fibrotic, and subpleural fibrotic. Five-year overall survival (OS) was compared between patients with and without ILAs using the multivariable Cox proportional hazards model. Subgroup analyses were performed based on cancer stage and ILA subcategories. The prevalences of treatment complications and death due to esophageal cancer and pneumonia/respiratory failure were analyzed using Fisher’s exact test. Results: A total of 478 patients with esophageal cancer (age, 66.8 years ± 8.6 [standard deviation]; 64 women) were evaluated in this study. Among them, 267 patients showed no ILAs, 125 patients were indeterminate for ILAs, and 86 patients showed ILAs. ILAs were a significant factor for shorter OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.68, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10–2.55, P = 0.016) in the multivariable Cox proportional hazards model adjusting for age, sex, smoking history, clinical stage, and histology. On subgroup analysis using patients with clinical stage IVB, the presence of ILAs was a significant factor (HR = 3.78, 95% CI 1.67–8.54, P = 0.001). Subpleural fibrotic ILAs were significantly associated with shorter OS (HR = 2.22, 95% CI 1.25–3.93, P = 0.006). There was no significant difference in treatment complications. Patients with ILAs showed a higher prevalence of death due to pneumonia/respiratory failure than those without ILAs (non-ILA, 2/95 [2%]; ILA, 5/39 [13%]; P = 0.022). The prevalence of death due to esophageal cancer was similar in patients with and without ILA (non-ILA, 82/95 [86%]; ILA 32/39 [82%]; P = 0.596). Conclusion: ILAs were significantly associated with shorter survival in patients with esophageal cancer

External Pancreatic Juice Drainage Through a Percutaneous Endoscopic Drainage Tube for the Patient With a Postoperative Pancreatic Juice Leakage

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) has been widely accepted for patients who have no swallowing ability but have an intact gut. Its clinical application is mainly for nutritional support and decompression of the intestine in patients with bowel obstruction. In this paper, we report external pancreatic juice drainage through a percutaneous endoscopic drainage tube in a patient with postoperative pancreatic juice leakage. Soon after this procedure, pancreatic juice leakage subsided. This procedure was minimally invasive for the patient and may be a new application of PEG to maintain the good quality of life (QOL) in a patient with pancreatic juice leakage

A novel single-stranded DNA-specific 3′–5′ exonuclease, Thermus thermophilus exonuclease I, is involved in several DNA repair pathways

Single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)-specific exonucleases (ssExos) are expected to be involved in a variety of DNA repair pathways corresponding to their cleavage polarities; however, the relationship between the cleavage polarity and the respective DNA repair pathways is only partially understood. To understand the cellular function of ssExos in DNA repair better, genes encoding ssExos were disrupted in Thermus thermophilus HB8 that seems to have only a single set of 5′–3′ and 3′–5′ ssExos unlike other model organisms. Disruption of the tthb178 gene, which was expected to encode a 3′–5′ ssExo, resulted in significant increase in the sensitivity to H2O2 and frequency of the spontaneous mutation rate, but scarcely affected the sensitivity to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. In contrast, disruption of the recJ gene, which encodes a 5′–3′ ssExo, showed little effect on the sensitivity to H2O2, but caused increased sensitivity to UV irradiation. In vitro characterization revealed that TTHB178 possessed 3′–5′ ssExo activity that degraded ssDNAs containing deaminated and methylated bases, but not those containing oxidized bases or abasic sites. Consequently, we concluded that TTHB178 is a novel 3′–5′ ssExo that functions in various DNA repair systems in cooperation with or independently of RecJ. We named TTHB178 as T. thermophilus exonuclease I

Gene Organization in Rice Revealed by Full-Length cDNA Mapping and Gene Expression Analysis through Microarray

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a model organism for the functional genomics of monocotyledonous plants since the genome size is considerably smaller than those of other monocotyledonous plants. Although highly accurate genome sequences of indica and japonica rice are available, additional resources such as full-length complementary DNA (FL-cDNA) sequences are also indispensable for comprehensive analyses of gene structure and function. We cross-referenced 28.5K individual loci in the rice genome defined by mapping of 578K FL-cDNA clones with the 56K loci predicted in the TIGR genome assembly. Based on the annotation status and the presence of corresponding cDNA clones, genes were classified into 23K annotated expressed (AE) genes, 33K annotated non-expressed (ANE) genes, and 5.5K non-annotated expressed (NAE) genes. We developed a 60mer oligo-array for analysis of gene expression from each locus. Analysis of gene structures and expression levels revealed that the general features of gene structure and expression of NAE and ANE genes were considerably different from those of AE genes. The results also suggested that the cloning efficiency of rice FL-cDNA is associated with the transcription activity of the corresponding genetic locus, although other factors may also have an effect. Comparison of the coverage of FL-cDNA among gene families suggested that FL-cDNA from genes encoding rice- or eukaryote-specific domains, and those involved in regulatory functions were difficult to produce in bacterial cells. Collectively, these results indicate that rice genes can be divided into distinct groups based on transcription activity and gene structure, and that the coverage bias of FL-cDNA clones exists due to the incompatibility of certain eukaryotic genes in bacteria

Summer sleep quality and change of bedroom thermal environment – from the beginning to the end of sleep

Relations between bedroom thermal environment changes and subjective sleep quality and thermal comfort were surveyed for 63 apartment occupants during midsummer in Osaka. Changes of Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) of 123 air-conditioned and 41 naturally ventilated nights were compared. 1) For air-conditioned bedrooms, sleep quality was better for smaller changes of WBGT from the beginning of sleep and for faster changes of WBGT to constant from the beginning of sleep. 2) For naturally ventilated bedrooms, a) WBGT increased from the beginning of sleep and decreased toward the end of sleep for higher sleep quality nights. However, WBGT decreased from the beginning of sleep and increased toward the end of sleep for lower sleep quality nights. b) The WBGT change was smaller for thermally comfortable nights

Are non-verbal facial cues of altruism cross-culturally readable?

International audienceAlthough both dynamic (i.e., facial expressions) and static facial traits are used as cues of altruism, only static facial traits have been shown to be cross-culturally readable with respect to altruism detection skills. To investigate whether dynamic facial cues of altruism are also cross-cultural, we asked French subjects to estimate the altruism of Japanese individuals on the basis of silent video clips. These video clips were taken from a previous experiment, which found that Japanese raters were able to accurately estimate the altruism of a videotaped Japanese individual. By using the same design and stimuli in France, we found that French raters were unable to assess the altruism of a Japanese individual. Hence, our results suggest that dynamic facial cues of altruistic intent are culturally specific rather than universally readable

Characteristics of individuals who developed type 2 diabetes from prediabetes despite undergoing interventions, and evaluation of the performance of urinary myo‐inositol as a risk factor for developing diabetes

Abstract Aims/Introduction The aim of this study was to clarify the characteristics of individuals with prediabetes who developed type 2 diabetes despite undergoing interventions, and to evaluate the performance of urinary myo‐inositol (UMI) as a noninvasive indicator for the risk of developing diabetes. Materials and Methods A total of 51 individuals with prediabetes who underwent a 75‐g oral glucose tolerance test, ΔUMI (the difference in the UMI : creatinine ratio between before and 120 min after 75‐g glucose loading), fasting plasma glucose, insulin, hemoglobin A1c, noninvasive testing (age, body mass index, blood pressure) and general blood tests were measured at baseline, and underwent dietary/exercise guidance for 8 years were studied. Results A total of 31 participants developed diabetes in 8 years. At baseline, the group that developed diabetes was characterized by high ΔUMI, hemoglobin A1c, fasting plasma glucose and low high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, and insulinogenic index (I.I.). I.I and ΔUMI showed a higher correlation than fasting plasma glucose and hemoglobin A1c. Regarding diabetes onset within 8 years, Cox regression analysis of diabetes onset showed the baseline ΔUMI is an independent predictor, adjusted for the result of not only noninvasive markers, but also that of noninvasive and general blood markers. The log‐rank test showed that all glycemic indicators were significantly associated with diabetes onset. Conclusion Participants who developed type 2 diabetes from prediabetes despite undergoing interventions were characterized by high glycemic control markers and low I.I. As noninvasive measurement of ΔUMI is associated with I.I. and diabetes onset, it could be a useful indicator for identifying individuals with a high risk of diabetes onset