Genomic characterization between strains selected for death-feigning duration for avoiding attack of a beetle

Predator avoidance is an important behavior that affects the degree of adaptation of organisms. We compared the DNA variation of one of the predator-avoidance behaviors, the recently extensively studied "death-feigning behavior", between the long strain bred for feigning death for a long time and the short strain bred for feigning death for a short time. To clarify how the difference in DNA sequences between the long and short strains corresponds to the physiological characteristics of the death-feigning duration at the transcriptome level, we performed comprehensive and comparative analyses of gene variants in Tribolium castaneum strains using DNA-resequencing. The duration of death feigning involves many gene pathways, including caffeine metabolism, tyrosine metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, metabolism of xenobiotics by cytochrome P450, longevity regulating pathways, and circadian rhythm. Artificial selection based on the duration of death feigning results in the preservation of variants of genes in these pathways in the long strain. This study suggests that many metabolic pathways and related genes may be involved in the decision-making process of anti-predator animal behavior by forming a network in addition to the tyrosine metabolic system, including dopamine, revealed in previous studies

Ovarian clear cell carcinoma meets metabolism; HNF-1β confers survival benefits through the Warburg effect and ROS reduction.

Ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) constitutes one of the subtypes of ovarian cancers, but it has unique clinical, histological and biological characteristics, one of which is chemo-resistance. It is also known to develop from endometriotic cyst, a benign ovarian tumor, at relatively high frequency. Recently, it is becoming well known that most of OCCCs express HNF1β, a transcription factor, which is closely associated with the development of liver, pancreas and kidney, as well as occurrence of familial forms of type 2 diabetes. Expression of HNF1β is now regarded as a hallmark of this tumor. Nevertheless, exact biological function of this gene in OCCC has not been clarified. We have shown in previous studies that microenvironment in endometriotic cysts contains severe oxidative stress and OCCC develops under such stressful environment as stress-resistant tumor, which may lead to chemo-resistance. We also showed that increased expression of HNF1β facilitates glucose uptake and glycolysis, which is known as Warburg effect. In the previous issue of this journal, by using comprehensive metabolome analysis, we report that HNF1β actually reduces and protects themselves from internal oxidative stress by dramatically changing cellular metabolism. In this article, we review the relevance and significance of cancer-specific metabolism and how they are associated with biological characteristics of OCCC via expression of HNF1β, along with future clinical implications of targeting cancer-specific metabolism

Time-Dependent Changes in Risk of Progression During Use of Bevacizumab for Ovarian Cancer

卵巣がんに対する分子標的薬「ベバシズマブ」の効果を解析 投与終了後に悪化リスクが高まることを確認、最適な投与法を提案. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-08-03.[Importance] Although bevacizumab has been used in the treatment of ovarian cancer, its optimal use is unknown. [Objective] To investigate time-dependent changes in the outcomes of bevacizumab therapy. [Design, Setting, and Participants] This cohort study was conducted using published data from 7 previous randomized phase 3 clinical trials with bevacizumab (ICON7, GOG-0218, BOOST, GOG-0213, OCEANS, AURERIA, and MITO16B) from January 10 to January 31, 2023. From 2 ancillary analyses of the ICON7 trial with individual patient data and tumor gene expression profiles, an ICON7-A cohort was generated comprising 745 cases. From other studies, published Kaplan-Meier curves were graphically analyzed. [Exposures] Bevacizumab treatment vs placebo or no treatment. [Main Outcomes and Measures] Restricted mean survival time and relative risk of progression at a given time point between bevacizumab treatment and control groups. [Results] In the ICON7-A cohort (n = 745), restricted mean survival analysis showed that bevacizumab treatment (n = 384) had significantly better progression-free survival (PFS) than the control (n = 361) before bevacizumab discontinuation (restricted mean survival time ratio, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.05-1.11; P < .001), but had significantly worse PFS after bevacizumab discontinuation (0.79; 95% CI, 0.69-0.90; P < .001), showing rebound. In a post hoc analysis, the rebound was similarly observed both in homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) (before, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.02-1.09; P < .001; after, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.63-0.98; P = .04) and non-HRD tumors (before, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.03-1.15; P < .001; after, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.56-0.90; P < .001) of the serous subtype, but not in the nonserous subtype (before, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.05-1.18; P < .001; after, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.78-1.15; P = .57). In Kaplan-Meier curve image–based analysis, the trend of rebound effect was consistently observed in the overall ICON7 and GOG-0218 cohorts and their subgroups stratified by prognostic factors, homologous recombination–associated mutations, and chemotherapy sensitivity. In contrast, no such trend was observed in the studies GOG-0213, OCEANS, AURERIA, and MITO16B, in which patients who experienced relapse received bevacizumab until progression. [Conclusions and Relevance] In ovarian cancer, bevacizumab may reduce progression for approximately 1 year after initiation, but discontinuation may increase subsequent progression in the serous subtype regardless of HRD status. The results suggest that in the first-line treatment, bevacizumab may be more beneficial in patients with a shorter prognosis who are less likely to experience the rebound outcome

Channel length dependence of the formation of quantum dots in GaN/AlGaN FETs

Quantum dots can be formed in simple GaN/AlGaN field-effect-transistors (FETs) by disordered potential induced by impurities and defects. Here, we investigate the channel length dependence of the formation of quantum dots. We observe decrease of the number of formed quantum dots with decrease of the FET channel length. A few quantum dots are formed in the case with the gate length of 0.05~$\mu$m and we evaluate the dot parameters and the disordered potential. We also investigate the effects of a thermal cycle and illumination of light, and reveal the change of the disordered potential.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure

Side-scattered finger-photoplethysmography: experimental investigations toward practical noninvasive measurement of blood glucose

The aim of this study was to discover a simple/convenient geometrical arrangement of radiation sources and detector to acquire finger-photoplethysmograms (PPGs) with wavelength regions of blood glucose (BGL) absorption, toward practical noninvasive BGL measurement. First, we compared PPGs with three wavelengths: 808 nm (without water absorption), 1160 nm (with weak water absorption), and 1600 nm (with nearly peak BGL absorption and strong water absorption), while the source-detector spacing was successively increased circumferentially around a fingertip. In 10 healthy subjects, we observed clear cardiac-related pulsatile components of PPG signals at 808 and 1160 nm in any incident positions with more than 15 dB of signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), but reliable PPG detections at 1600 nm with more than 10 dB of S/N was only possible when the source-detector distance was less than 3mm around the fingertip circumference. Second, with this arrangement, an experiment was performed using six wavelengths to cover glucose absorption bands (from 1550 to 1749 nm), obtaining pulsatile PPG signals with more or less 15 dB of S/N. Through the present experiments, this orthogonal arrangement of the source and detector to detect forward-and side-scattered radiation through the tissue is appropriate for PPG measurements with wavelength regions where there is potential for BGL measurement

A Proposal for Analysis and Prediction for Software Projects using Collaborative Filtering, In-Process Measurements and a Benchmarks Database

PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SOFTWARE PROCESS AND PRODUCT MEASUREMENT(MENSURA 2006)CÁDIZ – SPAINNOVEMBER, 6 – 8, 2006Alain Abran Reiner Dumke Mercedes Ruiz (Eds.)刊行年月日は会議開催日を参考にし

Peritoneal dissemination of high-grade serous ovarian cancer: pivotal roles of chromosomal instability and epigenetic dynamics

Epithelial ovarian cancer remains the lethal gynecological malignancy in women. The representative histotype is high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC), and most patients with HGSC present at advanced stages with peritoneal dissemination. Since the peritoneal dissemination is the most important factor for poor prognosis of the patients, complete exploration for its molecular mechanisms is mandatory. In this narrative review, being based on the clinical, pathologic, and genomic findings of HGSC, chromosomal instability and epigenetic dynamics have been discussed as the potential drivers for cancer development in the fallopian tube, acquisition of cancer stem cell (CSC)-like properties, and peritoneal metastasis of HGSC. The natural history of carcinogenesis with clonal evolution, and adaptation to microenvironment of peritoneal dissemination of HGSC should be targeted in the novel development of strategies for prevention, early detection, and precision treatment for patients with HGSC

PDK2 leads to cisplatin resistance through suppression of mitochondrial function in ovarian clear cell carcinoma

Ovarian clear cell carcinoma (CCC) exhibits an association with endometriosis, resistance to oxidative stress, and poor prognosis owing to its resistance to conventional platinum-based chemotherapy. A greater understanding of the molecular characteristics and pathogenesis of ovarian cancer subtypes may facilitate the development of targeted therapeutic strategies, though the mechanism of drug resistance in ovarian CCC has yet to be determined. In this study, we assessed exome sequencing data to identify new therapeutic targets of mitochondrial function in ovarian CCC because of the central role of mitochondria in redox homeostasis. Copy number analyses revealed that chromosome 17q21-24 (chr.17q21-24) amplification was associated with recurrence in ovarian CCC. Cell viability assays identified an association between cisplatin resistance and chr.17q21-24 amplification, and mitochondrion-related genes were enriched in patients with chr.17q21-24 amplification. Patients with high expression of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 2 (PDK2) had a worse prognosis than those with low PDK2 expression. Furthermore, inhibition of PDK2 synergistically enhanced cisplatin sensitivity by activating the electron transport chain and by increasing the production of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species. Mouse xenograft models showed that inhibition of PDK2 with cisplatin inhibited tumor growth. This evidence suggests that targeting mitochondrial metabolism and redox homeostasis is an attractive therapeutic strategy for improving drug sensitivity in ovarian CCC

Comparison between red, green and blue light reflection photoplethysmography for heart rate monitoring during motion

Reflection photoplethysmography (PPG) using 530 nm (green) wavelength light has the potential to be a superior method for monitoring heart rate (HR) during normal daily life due to its relative freedom from artifacts. However, little is known about the accuracy of pulse rate (PR) measured by 530 nm light PPG during motion. Therefore, we compared the HR measured by electrocadiography (ECG) as a reference with PR measured by 530, 645 (red), and 470 nm (blue) wavelength light PPG during baseline and while performing hand waving in 12 participants. In addition, we examined the change of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by motion for each of the three wavelengths used for the PPG. The results showed that the limit of agreement in Bland-Altman plots between the HR measured by ECG and PR measured by 530 nm light PPG (±0.61 bpm) was smaller than that achieved when using 645 and 470 nm light PPG (±3.20 bpm and ±2.23 bpm, respectively). The ΔSNR (the difference between baseline and task values) of 530 and 470nm light PPG was significantly smaller than ΔSNR for red light PPG. In conclusion, 530 nm light PPG could be a more suitable method than 645 and 470nm light PPG for monitoring HR in normal daily life. © 2013 IEEE