High-quality micro-shape fabrication of monocrystalline diamond by nanosecond pulsed laser and acid cleaning

The flat plane of small surface roughness below 0.1 mu m average roughness was obtained for monocrystalline diamond by nanosecond pulsed laser irradiation of 1060 nm and post-process acid cleaning, at a laser fluence around the material removal threshold value. The glossy and flat plane at the bottom of the micro-groove was parallel to the top surface of the specimen, although the round beam of Gaussian mode was irradiated in the direction perpendicular to the top surface of specimen. The square beam of top-hat mode produced a shallower micro-groove with a wider, flatter bottom compared with the round beam in Gaussian mode. The creation method of the flat plane with small surface roughness was discussed in the arrangement strategy of linear micro-grooving by the square beam of top-hat mode. Normal side-by-side repetition of linear micro-grooving did not create a flat plane with constant depth. Therefore, a two-step scanning method was proposed in order to overcome the problem in the normal side-by-side repetition of liner micro-grooving. Non-removal areas were partly retained between the processing lines in the first step, and the laser scanning was conducted on the retained area in the second step. The newly proposed two-step scanning method was practical and useful to create a widely flat plane with small surface roughness, and the two-step scanning method provided superior control over the micro-groove depth. This proposed method can reduce the surface roughness in addition to the shape creation of monocrystalline diamond, and it can be used as a high-quality micro-shape fabrication method of monocrystalline diamond

The whole blood transcriptional regulation landscape in 465 COVID-19 infected samples from Japan COVID-19 Task Force

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19患者由来の血液細胞における遺伝子発現の網羅的解析 --重症度に応じた遺伝子発現の変化には、ヒトゲノム配列の個人差が影響する--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-23.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently-emerged infectious disease that has caused millions of deaths, where comprehensive understanding of disease mechanisms is still unestablished. In particular, studies of gene expression dynamics and regulation landscape in COVID-19 infected individuals are limited. Here, we report on a thorough analysis of whole blood RNA-seq data from 465 genotyped samples from the Japan COVID-19 Task Force, including 359 severe and 106 non-severe COVID-19 cases. We discover 1169 putative causal expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) including 34 possible colocalizations with biobank fine-mapping results of hematopoietic traits in a Japanese population, 1549 putative causal splice QTLs (sQTLs; e.g. two independent sQTLs at TOR1AIP1), as well as biologically interpretable trans-eQTL examples (e.g., REST and STING1), all fine-mapped at single variant resolution. We perform differential gene expression analysis to elucidate 198 genes with increased expression in severe COVID-19 cases and enriched for innate immune-related functions. Finally, we evaluate the limited but non-zero effect of COVID-19 phenotype on eQTL discovery, and highlight the presence of COVID-19 severity-interaction eQTLs (ieQTLs; e.g., CLEC4C and MYBL2). Our study provides a comprehensive catalog of whole blood regulatory variants in Japanese, as well as a reference for transcriptional landscapes in response to COVID-19 infection

DOCK2 is involved in the host genetics and biology of severe COVID-19

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19疾患感受性遺伝子DOCK2の重症化機序を解明 --アジア最大のバイオレポジトリーでCOVID-19の治療標的を発見--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-10.Identifying the host genetic factors underlying severe COVID-19 is an emerging challenge. Here we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 2, 393 cases of COVID-19 in a cohort of Japanese individuals collected during the initial waves of the pandemic, with 3, 289 unaffected controls. We identified a variant on chromosome 5 at 5q35 (rs60200309-A), close to the dedicator of cytokinesis 2 gene (DOCK2), which was associated with severe COVID-19 in patients less than 65 years of age. This risk allele was prevalent in East Asian individuals but rare in Europeans, highlighting the value of genome-wide association studies in non-European populations. RNA-sequencing analysis of 473 bulk peripheral blood samples identified decreased expression of DOCK2 associated with the risk allele in these younger patients. DOCK2 expression was suppressed in patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis (n = 61 individuals) identified cell-type-specific downregulation of DOCK2 and a COVID-19-specific decreasing effect of the risk allele on DOCK2 expression in non-classical monocytes. Immunohistochemistry of lung specimens from patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia showed suppressed DOCK2 expression. Moreover, inhibition of DOCK2 function with CPYPP increased the severity of pneumonia in a Syrian hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, characterized by weight loss, lung oedema, enhanced viral loads, impaired macrophage recruitment and dysregulated type I interferon responses. We conclude that DOCK2 has an important role in the host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of severe COVID-19, and could be further explored as a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target

High-quality micro-shape fabrication of monocrystalline diamond by nanosecond pulsed laser and acid cleaning

The flat plane of small surface roughness below 0.1 mu m average roughness was obtained for monocrystalline diamond by nanosecond pulsed laser irradiation of 1060 nm and post-process acid cleaning, at a laser fluence around the material removal threshold value. The glossy and flat plane at the bottom of the micro-groove was parallel to the top surface of the specimen, although the round beam of Gaussian mode was irradiated in the direction perpendicular to the top surface of specimen. The square beam of top-hat mode produced a shallower micro-groove with a wider, flatter bottom compared with the round beam in Gaussian mode. The creation method of the flat plane with small surface roughness was discussed in the arrangement strategy of linear micro-grooving by the square beam of top-hat mode. Normal side-by-side repetition of linear micro-grooving did not create a flat plane with constant depth. Therefore, a two-step scanning method was proposed in order to overcome the problem in the normal side-by-side repetition of liner micro-grooving. Non-removal areas were partly retained between the processing lines in the first step, and the laser scanning was conducted on the retained area in the second step. The newly proposed two-step scanning method was practical and useful to create a widely flat plane with small surface roughness, and the two-step scanning method provided superior control over the micro-groove depth. This proposed method can reduce the surface roughness in addition to the shape creation of monocrystalline diamond, and it can be used as a high-quality micro-shape fabrication method of monocrystalline diamond

Pathological Appearance of Focal Liver Reactions after Radiotherapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

We studied five pathological specimens from five patients at 1.5, 3.0, 4.0, 13.5, and 14.0 months after radiotherapy for HCC. Four needle biopsies were obtained to investigate liver parenchyma of focal liver reaction (FLR) around treated HCC, when patients had newly developed HCC or local recurrence appeared in the liver. Liver resection was performed in one case where insufficient radiotherapy effect for HCC was suspected. In all patients, FLR was recognized as a hypervascular area around the HCC on enhanced CT and enhanced Gd-EOB-DTPA (EOB-MRI). Liver specimens were analyzed to assess the pathological characteristics of FLR. FLR was recognized as prolonged liver enhancement in enhanced CT and EOB-MRI. From pathological understanding, sinusoidal dilatation with degeneration and desquamation was caused by direct endothelial cell injury following radiotherapy. Hepatocytes and endothelium fell off, and so the portal tract came close, and hepatic arteries increase simultaneously, resulting in FLR around HCC after radiotherapy. In conclusion, the prolapse of hepatocytes and sinusoidal endothelium induced neovascularization of hepatic arteries due to the repair mechanisms; in addition, these prolapse may shorten the distance between each portal region and the hepatic arteries flowing through the portal region become more prominent in FLR

Surgical treatment of rectal cancer with a Retzius shunt: a case report

Abstract Background A case of a short circuit (Retzius shunt) from the inferior mesenteric vein (IMV) to the inferior vena cava (IVC) without accompanying portal hypertension due to liver cirrhosis is rare. Case presentation An 83-year-old woman who was followed after surgery for thyroid and breast cancer was incidentally found to have rectal cancer on computed tomography (CT). Preoperative three-dimensional CT showed a venous malformation forming a short circuit (Retzius shunt) from the IMV to the IVC. Laparoscopic anterior rectal resection was performed. Operative findings included the Retzius vein crossing the abdominal aorta and the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) to the IVC and a number of engorged vessels in the mesentery. The Retzius vein and IMA were clipped without major bleeding, and tumor-specific mesorectal excision was then performed. The patient’s postoperative clinical course was good, and she was discharged without complications. Conclusions Preoperative imaging enabled identification of an unexpected rare disease, thus reinforcing the importance of preoperative imaging

Isolated unilateral proximal interruption of the pulmonary artery: findings of high-resolution computed tomography and three-dimensional volume rendering imaging of the pleura

A unilateral proximal interruption of the pulmonary artery is a rare entity that is commonly associated with other congenital cardiovascular anomalies. However, less frequently, this condition may occur as an isolated finding, and some patients are completely asymptomatic. We report 2 cases of asymptomatic patients who had an isolated unilateral proximal interruption of the pulmonary artery. Herein, the radiological imaging findings are described with an emphasis on interlobular septal thickening of the affected lung demonstrated with high-resolution computed tomography. Three-dimensional volume rendering imaging clearly demonstrated reticular opacities on the surface of the affected side of the pleura