Effect of intermittent liver ischemia on outcome in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma on liver cirrhosis

The influence on postoperative liver function of intermittent normothermic hepatic ischemia in cirrhotic patients was studied retrospectively. The mean total ischemia time was 88 (range30 - 140) minutes in the hemi-hepatic occlusion group, and68 (range 10 - 187) minutes in the total occlusion group. There were no operative deaths due to hepatic failure. Postoperative liver function improved within 1 week of the opera-tion. There was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative complications between the groups. Thus normothermic hepatic ischemia is tolerated for up to 180minutes in the cirrhotic liver when an intermittent technique (15 minutes clamped and5 minutes unclamped) is used

Comparison of the clinical performance and usefulness of five SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests

We examined the usefulness of five COVID-19 antibody detection tests using 114 serum samples at various time points from 34 Japanese COVID-19 patients. We examined Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 from Roche, and four immunochromatography tests from Hangzhou Laihe Biotech, Artron Laboratories, Chil, and Nadal. In the first week after onset, Elecsys had 40% positivity in Group S (severe cases) but was negative in Group M (mild-moderate cases). The immunochromatography kits showed 40–60% and 0–8% positivity in Groups S and M, respectively. In the second week, Elecsys showed 75% and 50% positivity, and the immunochromatography tests showed 5–80% and 50–75% positivity in Groups S and M, respectively. After the third week, Elecsys showed 100% positivity in both groups. The immunochromatography kits showed 100% positivity in Group S. In Group M, positivity decreased to 50% for Chil and 75–89% for Artron and Lyher. Elecsys and immunochromatography kits had 91–100% specificity. Elecsys had comparable chronological change of cut-off index values in the two groups from the second week to the sixth week. The current SARS-CoV-2 antibody detection tests do not provide meaningful interpretation of severity and infection status. Its use might be limited to short-term epidemiological studies

Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor Producing Infiltrating Urothelial Carcinoma of the Left Renal Pelvis: A Case Report

We report a case of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) producing infiltrating urothelial carcinoma of the left renal pelvis. The patient was referred to our hospital for fever and anorexia. Blood tests showed elevated level of leukocytosis without any infectious diseases. The serum concentration of G-CSF was remarkably elevated. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed a huge mass in the left renal pelvis and para-aortic lymph node enlargement. He was underwent left nephroureterectomy and para-aortic lymphadenectomy. The histological examination revealed infiltrating urothelial carcinoma with positive staining for G-CSF antibody. The postoperative course was smooth and the leukocyte count became normalized within a week postoperatively. However, multiple lung metastasis and leukocytosis were revealed about 2 months after the operation. G-CSF producing infiltrating urothelial carcinoma of the renal pelvis is reported to have a significantly poor prognosis, so it is very important to monitor closely after the operation

Arabidopsis TEBICHI, with Helicase and DNA Polymerase Domains, Is Required for Regulated Cell Division and Differentiation in Meristems

In plant meristems, each cell divides and differentiates in a spatially and temporally regulated manner, and continuous organogenesis occurs using cells derived from the meristem. We report the identification of the Arabidopsis thaliana TEBICHI (TEB) gene, which is required for regulated cell division and differentiation in meristems. The teb mutants show morphological defects, such as short roots, serrated leaves, and fasciation, as well as defective patterns of cell division and differentiation in the meristem. The TEB gene encodes a homolog of Drosophila MUS308 and mammalian DNA polymerase θ, which prevent spontaneous or DNA damage–induced production of DNA double strand breaks. As expected from the function of animal homologs, teb mutants show constitutively activated DNA damage responses. Unlike other fasciation mutants with activated DNA damage responses, however, teb mutants do not activate transcriptionally silenced genes. teb shows an accumulation of cells expressing cyclinB1;1:GUS in meristems, suggesting that constitutively activated DNA damage responses in teb lead to a defect in G2/M cell cycle progression. Furthermore, other fasciation mutants, such as fasciata2 and tonsoku/mgoun3/brushy1, also show an accumulation of cells expressing cyclinB1;1:GUS in meristems. These results suggest that cell cycle progression at G2/M is important for the regulation of the pattern of cell division and of differentiation during plant development

Increased SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and spread of infection without awareness among healthcare workers through 2020–2022 in a Japanese medical center

Abstract Despite Japan’s high vaccination coverage, daily numbers of new COVID-19 cases have been high. However, studies on the seroprevalence among Japanese people and the causative factors for rapid spread have remained limited. In this study, we aimed to examine the seroprevalence and associated factors in healthcare workers (HCWs) of a medical center in Tokyo using blood samples drawn at annual check-ups from 2020 to 2022. We found that of the 3,788 HCWs in 2022 (by mid-June), 669 were seropositive for N-specific antibodies (tested by Roche Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 assay); the seroprevalence surged from 0.3% in 2020 and 1.6% in 2021 to 17.7% in 2022. Notably, our study found 325 (48.6%; 325/669) cases were infected without awareness. Among those with a previously PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection during the past three years, 79.0% (282/357) were found after January 2022, after the Omicron variant was first detected in Tokyo at the end of 2021. This study indicates the fast spread of the SARS-CoV-2 among HCWs during the Omicron surge in Japan. The high percentage of infection without awareness may be a key driving factor causing rapid person-to-person transmission, as shown in this medical center with high vaccination coverage and strict infection control measures

Performance evaluation of the Ortho VITROS SARS-CoV-2 Spike-Specific Quantitative IgG test by comparison with the surrogate virus neutralizing antibody test and clinical assessment.

BackgroundDespite the worldwide campaigns of COVID-19 vaccinations, the pandemic is still a major medical and social problem. The Ortho VITROS SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific quantitative IgG (VITROS S-IgG) assay has been developed to assess neutralizing antibody (NT antibody) against SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) antibodies. However, it has not been evaluated in Japan, where the total cases and death toll are lower than the rest of the world.MethodsThe clinical performance of VITROS S-IgG was evaluated by comparing with the NT antibody levels measured by the surrogate virus neutralizing antibody test (sVNT). A total of 332 serum samples from 188 individuals were used. Of these, 219 samples were from 75 COVID-19 patients: 96 samples from 20 severe/critical cases (Group S), and 123 samples from 55 mild/moderate cases (Group M). The remaining 113 samples were from 113 healthcare workers who had received 2 doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine.ResultsVITROS S-IgG showed good correlation with the cPass sVNT assay (Spearman rho = 0.91). Both VITROS S-IgG and cPass sVNT showed significantly higher plateau levels of antibodies in Group S compared to Group M. Regarding the humoral immune responses after BNT162b2 vaccination, individuals who were negative for SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N)-specific antibodies had statistically lower titers of both S-IgG and sVNT compared to individuals with a history of COVID-19 and individuals who were positive for N-specific antibodies without history of COVID-19. In individuals who were positive for N-specific antibodies, S-IgG and sVNT titers were similar to individuals with a history of COVID-19.ConclusionsAlthough the automated quantitative immunoassay VITROS S-IgG showed a reasonable correlation with sVNT antibodies, there is some discrepancy between Vitros S-IgG and cPass sVNT in milder cases. Thus, VITROS S-IgG can be a useful diagnostic tool in assessing the immune responses to vaccination and herd immunity. However, careful analysis is necessary to interpret the results

Additional file 1: Figure S1. of Prognostic value of CD66b positive tumor-infiltrating neutrophils in testicular germ cell tumor

Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to determine the cutoff value of TIN counts by using the 0, 1 criterion. In the present study, overall survival status had the largest AUC (0.80217), and we selected cutoff value determined by overall survival status. Cutoff value was selected from the point which was closest to both maximum sensitivity and specificity (21.6 counts/microscopic field). Therefore, high and low TIN density was defined as counts ≤ 21 and counts > 21, respectively. (TIF 217 kb

Assessment of antibody dynamics and neutralizing activity using serological assay after SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination.

The COVID-19 antibody test was developed to investigate the humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this study, we examined whether S antibody titers measured using the anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG II Quant assay (S-IgG), a high-throughput test method, reflects the neutralizing capacity acquired after SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination. To assess the antibody dynamics and neutralizing potency, we utilized a total of 457 serum samples from 253 individuals: 325 samples from 128 COVID-19 patients including 136 samples from 29 severe/critical cases (Group S), 155 samples from 71 mild/moderate cases (Group M), and 132 samples from 132 health care workers (HCWs) who have received 2 doses of the BNT162b2 vaccinations. The authentic virus neutralization assay, the surrogate virus neutralizing antibody test (sVNT), and the Anti-N SARS-CoV-2 IgG assay (N-IgG) have been performed along with the S-IgG. The S-IgG correlated well with the neutralizing activity detected by the authentic virus neutralization assay (0.8904. of Spearman's rho value, p < 0.0001) and sVNT (0.9206. of Spearman's rho value, p < 0.0001). However, 4 samples (2.3%) of S-IgG and 8 samples (4.5%) of sVNT were inconsistent with negative results for neutralizing activity of the authentic virus neutralization assay. The kinetics of the SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies and anti-S IgG in severe cases were faster than the mild cases. All the HCWs elicited anti-S IgG titer after the second vaccination. However, the HCWs with history of COVID-19 or positive N-IgG elicited higher anti-S IgG titers than those who did not have it previously. Furthermore, it is difficult to predict the risk of breakthrough infection from anti-S IgG or sVNT antibody titers in HCWs after the second vaccination. Our data shows that the use of anti-S IgG titers as direct quantitative markers of neutralizing capacity is limited. Thus, antibody tests should be carefully interpreted when used as serological markers for diagnosis, treatment, and prophylaxis of COVID-19