Electron spin phase relaxation of phosphorus donors in nuclear spin enriched silicon

We report a pulsed EPR study of the phase relaxation of electron spins bound to phosphorus donors in isotopically purified 29^Si and natural abundance Si single crystals measured at 8 K.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Aflatoxins in Rice Artificially Contaminated with Aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus flavus under Natural Storage in Japan

Aflatoxin (AFT) contamination is frequent in foods grown in tropical regions, including rice. Although AFTs are generally not found in temperate-region foods, global warming has affected typical temperate-region climates, potentially permitting the contamination of foods with AFT-producing Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus). Here we investigated the AFT production in rice during storage under natural climate conditions in Japan. We examined AFTs in brown rice and rough rice artificially contaminated with A. flavus for 1 year in Japan, and we subjected AFTs in white rice to the same treatment in airtight containers and examined the samples in warm and cold seasons, simulating the storage of white rice in general households. In the brown rice, AFTs increased after 2 months (March) and peaked after 9 months (October). The AFT contamination in the rough rice was minimal. After the polishing and cooking of the brown rice, AFTs were undetectable. In the white rice stored in airtight containers, AFTs increased after 1 month (August) and peaked after 2 months (September). Minimal AFTs were detected in the cold season. Thus, AFT contamination in rice may occur in temperate regions following A. flavus contamination. The storage of rice as rough rice could provide be useful for avoiding AFT contamination

Colorectal Carcinoma: Local Tumor Staging and Assessment of Lymph Node Metastasis by High-Resolution MR Imaging in Surgical Specimens

Purpose. To assess the accuracy of high-resolution MR imaging as a means of evaluating mural invasion and lymph node metastasis by colorectal carcinoma in surgical specimens. Materials and Methods. High-resolution T1-weighted and T2-weighted MR images were obtained in 92 surgical specimens containing 96 colorectal carcinomas. Results. T2-weighted MR images clearly depicted the normal colorectal wall as consisting of seven layers. In 90 (94%) of the 96 carcinomas the depth of mural invasion depicted by MR imaging correlated well with the histopathologic stage. Nodal signal intensity on T2-weighted images (93%) and nodal border contour (93%) were more accurate than nodal size (89%) as indicators of lymph node metastasis, and MR imaging provided the highest accuracy (94%–96%) when they were combined. Conclusion. High-resolution MR imaging is a very accurate method for evaluating both mural invasion and lymph node metastasis by colorectal carcinoma in surgical specimens

Influence of gallate and pyrogallol moieties on the intestinal absorption of (-)-epicatechin and (-)-epicatechin gallate.

The cellular accumulation of individual catechins was measured as an index of intestinal absorption to clarify the interactions among catechins. The cellular accumulation of (-)-epicatechin (EC) increased in the presence of other catechins. The ability of gallate catechin such as (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and (-)-epicatechin gallate (ECG) to increase the cellular accumulation of EC was greater than that of nongallate catechins. Gallic acid octyl ester (GAO) also increased the cellular accumulation of EC by 426% as compared with that in untreated cells. Conversely, the cellular accumulation of ECG was not influenced by other catechins, but it increased by 54% in the presence of GAO. Experiments using GAO derivatives indicated that the gallate moiety required the presence of a catechol group and a neighboring carbonyl group, whereas the pyrogallol moiety, without a neighboring carbonyl group, required 3 hydroxyl groups to increase the cellular accumulation of EC. Furthermore, gallate esters required long carbon chains to increase the same. The experiment using EGCG, GAO, or their derivatives indicated that the ability of gallate or pyrogallol moiety to increase the cellular accumulation of EC was restricted by their hydrophobicity. These results suggest that the co-administration of foods containing functional materials such as gallate or pyrogallol moieties, increases the intestinal absorption of catechin.The cellular accumulation of (-)-epicatechin increased by the gallate or pyrogallol moiety in catechin structure. The interaction among catechins appeared to affect intestinal absorption of catechin. The bioavailability of catechin may be improved by co-administration of functional foods.The cellular accumulation of individual catechins was measured as an index of intestinal absorption to clarify the interactions among catechins. The cellular accumulation of (-)-epicatechin (EC) increased in the presence of other catechins. The ability of gallate catechin such as (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and (-)-epicatechin gallate (ECG) to increase the cellular accumulation of EC was greater than that of nongallate catechins. Gallic acid octyl ester (GAO) also increased the cellular accumulation of EC by 426% as compared with that in untreated cells. Conversely, the cellular accumulation of ECG was not influenced by other catechins, but it increased by 54% in the presence of GAO. Experiments using GAO derivatives indicated that the gallate moiety required the presence of a catechol group and a neighboring carbonyl group, whereas the pyrogallol moiety, without a neighboring carbonyl group, required 3 hydroxyl groups to increase the cellular accumulation of EC. Furthermore, gallate esters required long carbon chains to increase the same. The experiment using EGCG, GAO, or their derivatives indicated that the ability of gallate or pyrogallol moiety to increase the cellular accumulation of EC was restricted by their hydrophobicity. These results suggest that the co-administration of foods containing functional materials such as gallate or pyrogallol moieties, increases the intestinal absorption of catechin.The cellular accumulation of (-)-epicatechin increased by the gallate or pyrogallol moiety in catechin structure. The interaction among catechins appeared to affect intestinal absorption of catechin. The bioavailability of catechin may be improved by co-administration of functional foods

Genome Analysis Revives a Forgotten Hybrid Crop Edo-dokoro in the Genus Dioscorea

忘れられた作物「えどどころ」の起原 --ゲノム解析が明らかにする青森県三八上北地域に残る栽培イモの歴史--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-10.A rhizomatous Dioscorea crop “Edo-dokoro” was described in old records of Japan, but its botanical identify has not been characterized. We found that Edo-dokoro is still produced by four farmers in Tohoku-machi of Aomori Prefecture, Japan. Rhizomes of Edo-dokoro are a delicacy to the local people and are sold in the markets. Morphological characters of Edo-dokoro suggest its hybrid origin between the two species, D. tokoro and D. tenuipes. Genome analysis revealed that Edo-dokoro is likely originated by hybridization of a male D. tokoro to a female D. tenuipes, followed by a backcross with a male plant of D. tokoro. Edo-dokoro is a typical minor crop possibly maintained for more than 300 years but now almost forgotten from the public. We hypothesize that there are many such uncharacterized genetic heritages passed over generations by small scale farmers that await serious scientific investigation for future use and improvement by using modern genomics information

High-performance pipeline for MutMap and QTL-seq

[Summary] Bulked segregant analysis implemented in MutMap and QTL-seq is a powerful and efficient method to identify loci contributing to important phenotypic traits. However, the previous pipelines were not user-friendly to install and run. Here, we describe new pipelines for MutMap and QTL-seq. These updated pipelines are approximately 5–8 times faster than the previous pipeline, are easier for novice users to use, and can be easily installed through bioconda with all dependencies. [Availability] The new pipelines of MutMap and QTL-seq are written in Python and can be installed via bioconda. The source code and manuals are available online (MutMap: https://github.com/YuSugihara/MutMap, QTL-seq: https://github.com/YuSugihara/QTL-seq)

Chronic Active Epstein–Barr Virus Infection Indistinguishable from Autoimmune Hepatitis: A Case Report

Chronic active Epstein–Barr virus (CAEBV) infection is a rare disease, mainly affecting children, typically characterized by persistent infectious mononucleosis (IM)-like symptoms. We describe an adult case of CAEBV without IM-like symptoms, which was indistinguishable from autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). A 60-year-old woman with liver damage was diagnosed with AIH (International Diagnostic Score: 16 points). She had been treated with prednisolone for three years; however, her transaminases had never normalized. She was admitted for another liver biopsy due to repeated high fevers and worsening of her liver damage over two months. Her EBV-DNA copy number was 2.9 × 104 copies/μg DNA, and EBV-encoded small RNA1-positive lymphocytic infiltration was observed in both the present and previously collected (three years ago) liver tissue samples. This case implies that hepatic involvement in a CAEBV without IM-like symptoms is difficult to distinguish from AIH and may be misdiagnosed. In some steroid resistant AIH cases, evaluating for CAEBV may be valuable

Bilateral Approach for Thoracoscopic Esophagectomy in a Patient with Esophageal Cancer and Solitary Posterior Thoracic Para-aortic Lymph Node Metastasis

We report a successful dissection of metastatic posterior thoracic para-aortic lymph node (No. 112aoP) via bilateral thoracoscopic surgery. With the anesthetized patient (a 73-year-old Japanese woman) in the prone position, two working ports were inserted for the left-side approach, and artificial pneumothorax was created. Thoracoscopic examination revealed a swollen LN posterior to the descending aorta. Fat and metastatic LNs posterior to the aorta were dissected from the aortic arch level to the diaphragm while preserving intercostal arteries. For the right-side approach, two working ports were inserted and a routine thoracoscopic esophagec-tomy was performed. Gastric conduit reconstruction was achieved laparoscopically. Operation time for the left thoracic procedure: 54 min; estimated blood loss: almost none. No recurrence was detected 24 months post-operatively. There are several surgical options for approaching No. 112aoP, including transhiatal, left thora-cotomy, and thoracoscopy. Although a wide dissection of the posterior thoracic para-aortic area has not been reported, it may be feasible and safe if the artery of Adamkiewicz and intercostal arteries are preserved. A min-imally invasive bilateral thoracoscopic approach for a thoracoscopic esophagectomy is safe and useful for esophageal cancer patients with solitary No. 112aoP metastasis

Study protocol of the SACURA trial: a randomized phase III trial of efficacy and safety of UFT as adjuvant chemotherapy for stage II colon cancer

BACKGROUND: Adjuvant chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer is internationally accepted as standard treatment with established efficacy, but the usefulness of adjuvant chemotherapy for stage II colon cancer remains controversial. The major Western guidelines recommend adjuvant chemotherapy for “high-risk stage II” cancer, but this is not clearly defined and the efficacy has not been confirmed. METHODS/DESIGN: SACURA trial is a multicenter randomized phase III study which aims to evaluate the superiority of 1-year adjuvant treatment with UFT to observation without any adjuvant treatment after surgery for stage II colon cancer in a large population, and to identify “high-risk factors of recurrence/death” in stage II colon cancer and predictors of efficacy and adverse events of the chemotherapy. Patients aged between 20 and 80 years with curatively resected stage II colon cancer are randomly assigned to a observation group or UFT adjuvant therapy group (UFT at 500–600 mg/day as tegafur in 2 divided doses after meals for 5 days, followed by 2-day rest. This 1-week treatment cycle is repeated for 1 year). The patients are followed up for 5 years until recurrence or death. Treatment delivery and adverse events are entered into a web-based case report form system every 3 months. The target sample size is 2,000 patients. The primary endpoint is disease-free survival, and the secondary endpoints are overall survival, recurrence-free survival, and incidence and severity of adverse events. In an additional translational study, the mRNA expression of 5-FU-related enzymes, microsatellite instability and chromosomal instability, and histopathological factors including tumor budding are assessed to evaluate correlation with recurrences, survivals and adverse events. DISCUSSION: A total of 2,024 patients were enrolled from October 2006 to July 2010. The results of this study will provide important information that help to improve the therapeutic strategy for stage II colon cancer. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00392899