Rational Designs at the Forefront of Mitochondria-Targeted Gene Delivery: Recent Progress and Future Perspectives

Mitochondria play an essential role in cellular metabolism and generate energy in cells. To support these functions, several proteins are encoded in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The mutation of mtDNA causes mitochondrial dysfunction and ultimately results in a variety of inherited diseases. To date, gene delivery systems targeting mitochondria have been developed to ameliorate mtDNA mutations. However, applications of these strategies in mitochondrial gene therapy are still being explored and optimized. Thus, from this perspective, we herein highlight recent mitochondria-targeting strategies for gene therapy and discuss future directions for effective mitochondria-targeted gene delivery

Effect of Oligomers Derived from Biodegradable Polyesters on Eco- and Neurotoxicity

Biodegradable polymers are eco-friendly materials and have attracted attention for use in a sustainable society because they are not accumulated in the environment. Although the characteristics of biodegradable polymers have been assessed well, the effects of their degradation products have not. Herein, we comprehensively evaluated the chemical toxicities of biodegradable polyester, polycaprolactone (PCL), and synthetic oligocaprolactones (OCLs) with different degrees of polymerization. While the PCL did not show any adverse effects on various organisms, high levels of shorter OCLs and the monomer (1 μg/mL for freshwater microorganisms and 1 mg/mL for marine algae and mammalian cells) damaged the tested organisms, including freshwater microorganisms, marine algae, and mammalian cells, which indicated the toxicities of the degradation products under unnaturally high concentrations. These results highlight the need for a further understanding of the effects of the degradation products resulting from biodegradable polyesters to ensure a genuinely sustainable society

マルチノードFPGAによるストリームデータ分散結合処理

本研究報告では，ストリームデータの結合処理を行うHandshake Join のFPGA アクセラレータをマルチノードに拡張する手法を提案し，その性能評価を報告する．マルチノード拡張は，データ通信の2 つの工夫によって実現する．FPGA 上に複数のJoin Core を実装すると共に，FPGA ボード上のDRAM を介してFPGA 間でJoin Coreを接続する仕組みを導入する．また，データ通信と結合演算をオーバラップすることで，通信に要するオーバヘッドを隠蔽する．これらのデータ配布方法の工夫により，単一のFPGA では実装できなかった大きなウインドウサイズの結合演算が可能となる．最大16 ノードでの性能評価の結果，マルチノードに拡張した場合においても，結合演算のスループットが維持されるとともに，並列化効果が得られることが確認された

Transoral surgery for superficial head and neck cancer: National Multi‐Center Survey in Japan

Head and neck cancers, especially in hypopharynx and oropharynx, are often detected at advanced stage with poor prognosis. Narrow band imaging enables detection of superficial cancers and transoral surgery is performed with curative intent. However, pathological evaluation and real-world safety and clinical outcomes have not been clearly understood. The aim of this nationwide multicenter study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of transoral surgery for superficial head and neck cancer. We collected the patients with superficial head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who were treated by transoral surgery from 27 hospitals in Japan. Central pathology review was undertaken on all of the resected specimens. The primary objective was effectiveness of transoral surgery, and the secondary objective was safety including incidence and severity of adverse events. Among the 568 patients, a total of 662 lesions were primarily treated by 575 sessions of transoral surgery. The median tumor diameter was 12 mm (range 1–75) endoscopically. Among the lesions, 57.4% were diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma in situ. The median procedure time was 48 minutes (range 2–357). Adverse events occurred in 12.7%. Life-threatening complications occurred in 0.5%, but there were no treatment-related deaths. During a median follow-up period of 46.1 months (range 1–113), the 3-year overall survival rate, relapse-free survival rate, cause-specific survival rate, and larynx-preservation survival rate were 88.1%, 84.4%, 99.6%, and 87.5%, respectively. Transoral surgery for superficial head and neck cancer offers effective minimally invasive treatment

A Report on the Performance of Kokushikan University’s Judo Team : 2022 All-Japan Judo Championships

J-GLOBAL ID : 201701013784237740J-GLOBAL ID : 200901081246796295J-GLOBAL ID : 202301016670669019J-GLOBAL ID : 201301094229252459J-GLOBAL ID : 200901011933088480application/pdfdepartmental bulletin pape