Correlation between the expression of LAT1 in cancer cells and the potential efficacy of boron neutron capture therapy

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a binary cancer therapy that involves boron administration and neutron irradiation. The nuclear reaction caused by the interaction of boron atom and neutron produces heavy particles with highly cytocidal effects and destruct tumor cells, which uptake the boron drug. p-Boronophenylalanine (BPA), an amino acid derivative, is used in BNCT. Tumor cells with increased nutrient requirements take up more BPA than normal tissues via the enhanced expression of LAT1, an amino acid transporter. The current study aimed to assess the correlation between the expression of LAT1 and the uptake capacity of BPA using genetically modified LAT1-deficient/enhanced cell lines. We conducted an in vitro study, SCC7 tumor cells wherein LAT1 expression was altered using CRISPR/Cas9 were used to assess BPA uptake capacity. Data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were used to examine the expression status of LAT1 in human tumor tissues, the potential impact of LAT1 expression on cancer prognosis and the potential cancer indications for BPA-based BNCT. We discovered that the strength of LAT1 expression strongly affected the BPA uptake ability of tumor cells. Among the histologic types, squamous cell carcinomas express high levels of LAT1 regardless of the primary tumor site. The higher LAT1 expression in tumors was associated with a higher expression of cell proliferation markers and poorer patient prognosis. Considering that BPA concentrate more in tumors with high LAT1 expression, the results suggest that BNCT is effective for cancers having poor prognosis with higher proliferative potential and nutritional requirements

The mutual relationship between the host immune system and radiotherapy: stimulating the action of immune cells by irradiation

The effects of irradiation on tumor tissue and the host immune system are interrelated. The antitumor effect of irradiation is attenuated in the immunocompromised hosts. In addition, radiation alone positively and negatively influences the host immune system. The positive effects of radiation are summarized by the ability to help induce and enhance tumor-antigen-specific immune responses. The cancer-immunity cycle is a multistep framework that illustrates how the tumor-antigen-specific immune responses are induced and how the induced antigen-specific immune cells exert their functions in tumor tissues. Irradiation affects each step of this cancer-immunity cycle, primarily in a positive manner. In contrast, radiation also has negative effects on the immune system. The first is that irradiation has the possibility to kill irradiated effector immune cells. The second is that irradiation upregulates immunosuppressive molecules in the tumor microenvironment, whereas the third is that irradiation to the tumor condenses immunosuppressor cells in the tumor microenvironment. When used in conjunction with radiotherapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors can further leverage the positive effects of radiation on the immune system and compensate for the negative effects of irradiation, which supports the rationale for the combination of radiotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors. In this review, we summarize the preclinical evidence for the reciprocal effects of radiation exposure and the immune system, and up-front topics of the combination therapy of immune checkpoint inhibitors and radiotherapy

Effect of additional buoyancy swimsuits on performance of competitive swimmers

When in water, the Centers of Buoyancy (CoB) and Mass (CoM) of the human body are positioned cranially and caudally, respectively. With increasing distance between these centers, the sinking torque of the lower limbs increases, with a subsequent decrease in swimming performance due to increased drag. Objective: To clarify the effect of additional buoyancy swimsuits on swimming performance. Methods: The subjects were eight competitive male swimmers of mean ±SD age 21±2 years. Swimming performance was compared between Conventional (CS) and Additional Buoyancy Swimsuits (ABS). CoM and CoB were identified on land and in water, respectively, with the swimmers maintaining a horizontal posture. CoM was measured by the reaction board method. CoB was calculated as the force exerted in the vertical direction accompanied by changes in inspiratory volume. Swimming velocity and Blood Lactate (BL) concentration value during 200 m front crawl in trials at four different speeds (curve test) were recorded as swimming performance. Results: No significant difference in inspiratory volume was observed between CS and ABS (small effect size, d=0.28). The distance between CoM and CoB was significantly shorter for CS than ABS (p < 0.001; large effect size, d=1.08). Both swimming velocity at BL of 4 mmol·L-1 and maximal effort were significantly faster for ABS (p < 0.042; 0.008), with large effect size (d=0.91; 0.98). However, there was no significant difference in maximal BL between CS and ABS (small effect size, d=0.37). Conclusion: ABS improves swimming performance by streamlining the horizontal posture.This work is supported by the JSPS KAKENHI, grant number 16K01713.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

End-to-End Multi-User 360-Degree Video Delivery Using Users' Fixation Points

Okamoto T., Ishioka T., Fukui T., et al. End-to-End Multi-User 360-Degree Video Delivery Using Users' Fixation Points. IEEE Access 12, 9151 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3353812.Viewport-based 360-degree video delivery is a typical method to reduce video traffic for virtual reality (VR) applications. However, viewport-based solutions cause key issues in multi-user VR applications, including high video traffic due to redundant video transmission across multiple headset users and quality degradation due to viewport transitions. These problems occur in both camera-to-server and server-to-user video transmissions. In this study, we propose a 360-degree video delivery scheme for multi-user VR applications. To overcome the above issues, the proposed approach includes appropriate quality and transmission control for camera-to-server and server-to-user video transmissions. The camera extracts the estimated potential region from the dual fisheye video. The server controls recompression at the server to follow the viewport transition and hybrid unicast and multicast tile delivery to avoid redundant transmissions. Evaluations using 360-degree video and corresponding fixation points from multiple users show that the proposed scheme prevents redundant transmissions across multiple headset users and provides better viewport quality for each user under the same video traffic. For example, the proposed scheme reduces video traffic by up to 36.4% compared to the existing viewport-based 360-degree video delivery scheme for ten headset users

Predictors of sedation period for critical illness patients focusing on early rehabilitation on the bed

There are various interventions of rehabilitation on the bed, but these are time-consuming and cannot be performed for all patients. The purpose of this study was to identify the patients who require early mobilization based on the level of sedation. We retrospectively evaluated the data of patients who underwent physical therapy, ICU admission of > 48 h, and were discharged alive. Sedation was defined as using sedative drugs and a Richmond Agitation–Sedation Scale score of < − 2. Multiple regression analysis was performed using sedation period as the objective variable, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient were performed. Of 462 patients admitted to the ICU, the data of 138 patients were analyzed. The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score and non-surgery and emergency surgery cases were extracted as significant factors. The ROC curve with a positive sedation period of more than 3 days revealed the SOFA cutoff score was 10. A significant positive correlation was found between sedation period and the initial day on early mobilization. High SOFA scores, non-surgery and emergency surgery cases may be indicators of early mobilization on the bed in the ICU