Formal REA model at operational level

Despite a lot of attention gained by the Resource-Event-Agent (REA) framework among researchers in enterprise modeling, it still lacks comprehensive formal description. Most of the formalization approaches to REA use only UML or other graphical representation. This paper aims to define REA ontology at operational level using formal logic tools. The general approach to formal logic description of REA was motivated by LTAP introduced by Ito, Hagihara and Yonezaki. After basic REA concepts are presented, semantics and logical language LREA are defined including axioms for the REA operational level. Future research is shortly described in conclusion.REA framework; formal models; modal logic

Formal REA model at operational level

Despite a lot of attention gained by the Resource-Event-Agent (REA) framework among researchers in enterprise modeling, it still lacks comprehensive formal description. Most of the formalization approaches to REA use only UML or other graphical representation. This paper aims to define REA ontology at operational level using formal logic tools. The general approach to formal logic description of REA was motivated by LTAP introduced by Ito, Hagihara and Yonezaki. After basic REA concepts are presented, semantics and logical language LREA are defined including axioms for the REA operational level. Future research is shortly described in conclusion

Imaging Techniques for Aortic Aneurysms and Dissections in Mice: Comparisons of Ex Vivo, In Situ, and Ultrasound Approaches

Aortic aneurysms and dissections are life-threatening conditions that have a high risk for lethal bleeding and organ malperfusion. Many studies have investigated the molecular basis of these diseases using mouse models. In mice, ex vivo, in situ, and ultrasound imaging are major approaches to evaluate aortic diameters, a common parameter to determine the severity of aortic aneurysms. However, accurate evaluations of aortic dimensions by these imaging approaches could be challenging due to pathological features of aortic aneurysms. Currently, there is no standardized mode to assess aortic dissections in mice. It is important to understand the characteristics of each approach for reliable evaluation of aortic dilatations. In this review, we summarize imaging techniques used for aortic visualization in recent mouse studies and discuss their pros and cons. We also provide suggestions to facilitate the visualization of mouse aortas

Reconstruction of ancestral L-amino acid oxidases to broaden substrate selectivity

Characteristic functions of enzymes, such as high thermal stability and substrate specificity, are attained during the evolutionary process. Ancestral sequence reconstruction (ASR) is applied to infer the process by designing artificial enzymes which are located on ancestral node of phylogenetic tree; here, the inferred enzymes called ancestral enzymes. Ancestral enzymes often exhibit substrate promiscuity and high thermal stability of which functions are suitable to perform enzyme engineering. In addition, applicability of the ASR is high because the method requires only sequence data to design ancestral enzymes. Thus, we believe that artificial enzymes contributing to progress in enzyme engineering can be designed by ASR. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

β-Aminopropionitrile-Induced Aortic Aneurysm and Dissection in Mice

The mechanistic basis for the formation of aortic aneurysms and dissection needs to be elucidated to facilitate the development of effective medications. β-Aminopropionitrile administration in mice has been used frequently to study the pathologic features and mechanisms of aortic aneurysm and dissection. This mouse model mimics several facets of the pathology of human aortic aneurysms and dissection, although many variables exist in the experimental design and protocols that must be resolved to determine its application to the human disease. In the present brief review, we have introduced the development of this mouse model and provided insights into understanding its pathologic features

Early Removal of the Prophylactic Drain After Distal Gastrectomy : Results of a Randomized Controlled Study.

Background: The optimal timing of the drain removal after gastrectomy has been unclear. The aim of this prospective randomized controlled study was to assess the optimal timing of removal of prophylactic drains after distal gastrectomy (DG) or pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG). Methods: All patients undergoing DG or PPG for gastric cancer were eligible for this study. The exclusion criteria were combined organ resection, the use of postoperative anticoagulant therapy, intraoperative injury of other organs and anastomotic problems. Just after the operation, the eligible patients were randomly assigned to either the early removal group (n=50), where the drain was removed in the morning of the postoperative day (POD) 1, or the control group (n=50), where the drain was removed on POD 3 or later. We compared the surgical outcomes between the groups. Results: The rate of overall postoperative complications was 18% in the early removal group and 18% in the control group, with no significant difference between the groups. The severity of complications was also similar between the groups. There were no significant differences between the groups with regard to the postoperative recovery, pain or the length of the postoperative hospital stay. Conclusions: The present study demonstrated the safety and feasibility of the early removal of prophylactic drains in selected patients undergoing DG or PPG for gastric cancer

ヒト胃癌患者におけるtripartite motif 32の過剰発現は予後不良に関連する

Tripartite motif protein (TRIM) 32 belongs to the TRIM family, which is composed of RING finger, B-box and coiled-coil domains. TRIM32 has been reported to function as an enzyme 3 ubiquitin ligase and is overexpressed in numerous types of cancer. The present study evaluated the clinical significance of TRIM32 expression levels in gastric cancer. The current study also investigated the TRIM32 expression levels in 142 patients with gastric cancer using immunohistochemistry and examined its clinical importance and potential as a prognostic marker. Furthermore, the function of TRIM32 was examined in vitro. High TRIM32 expression levels were detected in gastric cancer tissues. The postoperative overall and relapse-free survival rates were significantly reduced in patients with tumors with high levels of TRIM32 expression compared with those with tumors expressing low levels of TRIM32. Tumors expressing high levels of TRIM32 were associated with an increased risk of postoperative recurrence, particularly hematogenous recurrence. Multivariate analysis identified TRIM32 status as an independent prognostic factor. Furthermore, TRIM32 gene silencing induced apoptosis and inhibited the proliferation of gastric cancer cells in vitro. Therefore, TRIM32 expression levels may be of potential prognostic value in gastric cancer.博士（医学）・乙第1402号・平成29年6月28日Copyright © Spandidos Publications 2017. All rights reserved.The Spandidos Publications link is available at " http://dx.doi.org/10.3892/ol.2017.5806

AirID, a novel proximity biotinylation enzyme, for analysis of protein–protein interactions

Proximity biotinylation based on Escherichia coli BirA enzymes such as BioID (BirA*) and TurboID is a key technology for identifying proteins that interact with a target protein in a cell or organism. However, there have been some improvements in the enzymes that are used for that purpose. Here, we demonstrate a novel BirA enzyme, AirID (ancestral BirA for proximity-dependent biotin identification), which was designed de novo using an ancestral enzyme reconstruction algorithm and metagenome data. AirID-fusion proteins such as AirID-p53 or AirID-IκBα indicated biotinylation of MDM2 or RelA, respectively, in vitro and in cells, respectively. AirID-CRBN showed the pomalidomide-dependent biotinylation of IKZF1 and SALL4 in vitro. AirID-CRBN biotinylated the endogenous CUL4 and RBX1 in the CRL4CRBN complex based on the streptavidin pull-down assay. LC-MS/MS analysis of cells that were stably expressing AirID-IκBα showed top-level biotinylation of RelA proteins. These results indicate that AirID is a novel enzyme for analyzing protein–protein interactions

Competitive Binding Assay with an Umbelliferone-Based Fluorescent Rexinoid for Retinoid X Receptor Ligand Screening

Ligands for retinoid X receptors (RXRs), "rexinoids", are attracting interest as candidates for therapy of type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. However, current screening methods for rexinoids are slow and require special apparatus or facilities. Here, we created 7-hydroxy-2-oxo-6-(3,5,5,8,8-pentamethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydronaphthalen-2-yl)-2H-chromene-3-carboxylic acid (10, CU-6PMN) as a new fluorescent RXR agonist and developed a screening system of rexinoids using 10. Compound 10 was designed based on the fact that umbelliferone emits strong fluorescence in a hydrophilic environment, but the fluorescence intensity decreases in hydrophobic environments such as the interior of proteins. The developed assay using 10 enabled screening of rexinoids to be performed easily within a few hours by monitoring changes of fluorescence intensity with widely available fluorescence microplate readers, without the need for processes such as filtration