Search

Ru-based solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cermet anodes are presented. The preparation conditions of the Ru-based anodes are adjusted by preventing the sublimation of Ru-oxides at elevated temperatures by using an oxidizing atmosphere. SOFC single cells with zirconia-electrolyte and cathode are prepared, and the electrochemical performance is examined using realistic fuels containing low concentrations of higher hydrocarbons and trace sulfur impurities. The degradation rate is relatively high under simulated high fuel utilization operating conditions. However, under the operational condition near the fuel inlet of SOFC systems, the Ru-based anode satisfies 5000-h durability by using hydrocarbon-containing fuels. While a much higher durability is needed for stationary applications, the cells with the Ru-based anode may be applicable to e.g. automobile applications with hydrocarbon-containing fuels as high internal reforming activity, carbon deposition tolerance, and sulfur impurity tolerance have been verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal stability of the circuit boards with a quad flat package (QFP) soldered with Sn-58wt%Bi-(0, 0.5 and 1.0) wt% Ag and their microstructural features were evaluated. The addition of 1.0 wt% Ag causes the formation of large primary Ag3Sn precipitates in the solder while no primary Ag3Sn is found in Sn-57Bi-0.5Ag. Thermo-Calc calculation indicates that the lowest limit content for the formation of primary Ag3Sn is about 0.8 wt%. Heat-exposure below 100°C has no serious degradation on the joint structure for all solders. Heat-exposure at 125°C caused serious degradation in joint strength for all alloys. The contamination of Pb from Sn-Pb surface plating on the components reduces the interface tolerance by forming ternary Sn-Pb-Bi phase melting at low temperature. Thermal fatigue between -20 and 80°C does not have any significant influence on joint structure. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To investigate the possible involvement of IDDMK[sub 1,2] 22/HERV-K18 in childhood type 1 diabetes mellitus, we identified two nonsynonymous A/G polymorphisms in the superantigen-coding region of IDDMK[sub 1,2] 22 at the 290- and 461-nucleotide (nt) positions from the initial methionine codon and compared their frequencies in 74 Japanese patients with type 1 diabetes and in 54 nondiabetic controls. Although the G substitution was observed more frequently at either site in the patients than it was in the controls (7% vs. 4% at 290 nt, and 29% vs. 20% at 461 nt), the differences were not statistically significant. A weak significance of difference in the frequency of 461G was obtained only in an early-onset group of patients manifesting the disease at 5 years of age or less (n = 24) when compared with controls (38% vs. 20%; P = 0.03). However, in addition to the common absence of a particular allele among the expected four alleles, remarkable differences in allele frequencies were present between Japanese and European populations. This first trial investigating the association of IDDMK[sub 1,2] 22 with type 1 diabetes presents intriguing suggestions for the role of this region in the etiology of autoimmune and infectious diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To elucidate possible physiological functions of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) and their role in the pathogenesis of human diseases, we have developed a strategy to identify transcriptionally active HERV genes. By this approach, we have identified and isolated an active HERV-E gene that was mapped to 17q11. Although the gene was predicted to produce no intact viral particles due to the presence of stop codons, long open reading frames were retained in each gag and pol region. Northern blot analyses revealed in the pancreas (and thyroid) two major transcripts, 3.3 and 4.1 kb in size, associated with 500- to 600-nucleotide-longer minor bands. Preferential expression in pancreas and thyroid gland tissues may suggest a role for this gene in physiological functions common to these tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We report the chromosomal localization of the gene for human poly(A) polymerase (PAP) and the characterization of a newly isolated CA repeat near the PAP locus. By fluorescence in situ hybridization and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based analysis with both a human/ rodent monochromosomal hybrid cell panel and a radiation hybrid mapping panel, this gene was mapped on the q32.1-q32.2 region of chromosome 14. From a genomic clone containing the human PAP locus, we have isolated a polymorphic dinucleotide (CA) sequence. High heterozygosity (0.81) makes this polymorphism a useful marker in the genetic study of disorders localized at the 14q32 region, such as autosomal recessive congenital microphthalmia (CMIC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract VRK1 is a novel human putative serine/threonine kinase, and is located on chromosome 14 at band q32 where an autosomal recessive congenital microphthalmia (CMIC) is mapped. We isolated a polymorphic dinucleotide CA repeat marker from a genomic clone containing the human VRK1 gene. This polymorphism will be useful in genetic studies of disorders localized at the 14q32 region, such as CMIC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phenomenon of structural transformation in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), characterized by a phase transition from one structure to another through the dissociation and recombination of coordination bonds, is well recognized. In this study, we successfully developed a new structural transformation from MIL-101(Cr) to MIL-53(Cr) using fluoride as an additive. In addition, the structural transformation proceeds without additives in the case of MIL-101(Cr) with electron-withdrawing groups. To our knowledge, this is the first example of a structural transformation system using kinetically inert Cr-based MOFs., (© 2025 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

The biologically significant phenomenon that the fetus can survive immune attacks from the mother has been demonstrated in mammals. The survival mechanism depends on the fetus and placenta actively defending themselves against attacks by maternal T cells, achieved through the localized depletion of the amino acid L-tryptophan by an enzyme called indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase. These findings were entirely unexpected and pose important questions regarding diseases related to human pregnancy and their prevention during human pregnancy. Specifically, the role of this mechanism, as discovered in mice, in humans remains unknown, as does the extent to which impaired activation of this process contributes to major clinical diseases in humans. We have, thus, elucidated several key aspects of this enzyme expressed in the human placenta both in normal and abnormal human pregnancy. The questions addressed in this brief review are as follows: (1) localization and characteristics of human placental indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenas; (2) overall tryptophan catabolism in human pregnancy and a comparison of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase expression levels between normal and pre-eclamptic pregnancy; (3) controlling trophoblast invasion by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase and its relation to the pathogenesis of placenta accrete spectrum.

Cell fusion in the placenta is tightly regulated. Suppressyn is a human placental endogenous retroviral protein that inhibits the profusogenic activities of another well-described endogenous retroviral protein, syncytin-1. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying suppressyn's placenta-specific expression. We identified the promoter region and a novel enhancer region for the gene encoding suppressyn, ERVH48-1 , and examined their regulation via DNA methylation and their responses to changes in the oxygen concentration. Like other endogenous retroviral genes, the ERVH48-1 promoter sequence is found within a characteristic retroviral 5' LTR sequence. The novel enhancer sequence we describe here is downstream of this LTR sequence (designated EIEs: ERV internal enhancer sequence) and governs placental expression. The placenta-specific expression of ERVH48-1 is tightly controlled by DNA methylation and further regulated by oxygen concentration-dependent, hypoxia-induced transcription factors (HIF1α and HIF2α). Our findings highlight the involvement of (1) tissue specificity through DNA methylation, (2) expression specificity through placenta-specific enhancer regions, and (3) the regulation of suppressyn expression in differing oxygen conditions by HIF1α and HIF2α. We suggest that these regulatory mechanisms are central to normal and abnormal placental development, including the development of disorders of pregnancy involving altered oxygenation, such as preeclampsia, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and fetal growth restriction.

Background/aim: Ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) is a histological type of ovarian cancer that is refractory to chemotherapy and has poor prognosis, which necessitates the development of novel treatment therapies. In this study, we focused on L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1), which is involved in cancer growth, and investigated the effect of its selective inhibition on cell proliferation in OCCC., Materials and Methods: The inhibitory effect of nanvuranlat (JPH203), a LAT1 selective inhibitor, on the cellular uptake of [ 3 H] leucine was evaluated using the OCCC cell line JHOC9, which expresses the LAT1 protein. In addition, the kinetics of cell proliferation and changes in phosphorylation of the mTOR pathway were analyzed. The correlation between LAT1 expression and progression-free survival (PFS) was evaluated using clinical specimens of OCCC., Results: Nanvuranlat inhibited [ 3 H] leucine intracellular uptake and cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner in JHOC9 cells. In addition, it suppressed the activity of the mTOR signaling pathway, which is thought to inhibit cancer cell proliferation. LAT1 expression was most frequent in OCCC among clinical specimens of epithelial ovarian cancer. A correlation between LAT1 expression and PFS was observed in OCCC., Conclusion: LAT1 selective inhibition suppresses cell proliferation via the mTOR pathway by inhibiting leucine uptake in OCCC. This study illustrates the potential of using LAT1 selective inhibition as a treatment strategy for OCCC., (Copyright © 2023 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

Background: An exploratory household transmission study was nested in SPECTRA, the phase 2/3 efficacy study of the adjuvanted recombinant protein-based COVID-19 vaccine SCB-2019. We compared the occurrence of confirmed COVID-19 infections between households and household contacts of infected SPECTRA placebo or SCB-2019 recipients., Methods: SPECTRA participants at 8 study sites in the Philippines who developed real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR)-confirmed COVID-19 were contacted by a study team blinded to assignment of index cases to vaccine or placebo groups to enroll in this household transmission study. Enrolled households and household contacts were monitored for 3 weeks using rRT-PCR and anti-SARS-CoV-2 N-antigen IgG/IgM testing to detect new COVID-19 infections., Results: One hundred fifty-four eligible COVID-19 index cases (51 vaccinees, 103 placebo) were included. The secondary attack rate per household for symptomatic COVID-19 infection was 0.76% (90% CI: .15-3.90%) if the index case was an SCB-2019 vaccinee compared with 5.88% (90% CI: 3.20-10.8%) for placebo index cases, a relative risk reduction (RRR) of 79% (90% CI: -28% to 97%). The RRR of symptomatic COVID-19 per household member was similar: 84% (90% CI: 28-97%). The impact on attack rates in household members if index cases were symptomatic (n = 130; RRR = 80%; 90% CI: 7-96%) or asymptomatic (n = 24; RRR = 100%; 90% CI: -76% to 100%) was measurable but the low numbers undermine the clinical significance., Conclusions: In this prospective household contact study vaccination with SCB-2019 reduced SARS-CoV-2 transmission compared with placebo in households and in household members independently of whether or not index cases were symptomatic., Competing Interests: Potential conflicts of interest. P. L. and J. G. are full-time employees of the study sponsor, Clover Biopharmaceuticals, and receive an employment total award package as well as salary. R. C. reports participation as Chair Scientific Advisory Board for Clover Biopharmaceuticals, plays a role on the Board for Clover Biopharmaceuticals and the Board of Trustees for the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), and has stock or stock options in Clover Biopharmaceuticals. J. S. reports consulting fees from IVI and participation on a Data Safety and Monitoring Board (DSMB) for the OPTIMMS Trial (Oxford University, Andrew Pollard as Principal Investigator). F. R. reports personal fees from Clover Biopharmaceuticals during the conduct of the study, personal fees from Merck Research Labs, personal fees from Novartis, personal fees from Lilly, grants and personal fees from AstraZeneca, personal fees from Union Chimique Belge, personal fees from Sanofi, personal fees from Amgen, personal fees from Icosavax, personal fees from Gilead, grants from Eidos, grants from Bristol Myers Squibb, personal fees from Janssen, personal fees from Doctor Evidence, grants from American Regent, personal fees from Biogen, personal fees from Intercept, personal fees from Alkermes, and personal fees from Diurnal, outside the submitted work, and equity interest in GSK, Athira, Spencer Healthcare, Clover Biopharmaceuticals, Doctor Evidence, Odyssey Topco, and Adaptic Health. All other authors report no potential conflicts. All authors have submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Conflicts that the editors consider relevant to the content of the manuscript have been disclosed., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.)

Background: Previous investigations have shown a positive association between hospital volume of operations and clinical outcomes. However, it is unclear whether such relationships also apply to emergency surgery. We sought to examine the association between hospital case volume and inpatient mortality for 7 common emergency general surgery (EGS) operations among geriatric patients., Methods: This is a population based retrospective cohort study using the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Limited Dataset Files (LDS) from 2011 to 2013. The 7 most common emergency surgeries included (1) partial colectomy, (2) small-bowel resection (SBR), (3) cholecystectomy, (4) appendectomy, (5) lysis of adhesions (LOA), (6) operative management of peptic ulcer disease (PUD), and (7) laparotomy with the primary outcome being inpatient mortality. Risk-adjusted inpatient mortality was plotted against operative volume. Subsequently an operative volume threshold was calculated using a best fit regression method. Based on these estimates, high- and low-volume hospitals were compared to examine significance of outcomes. Significance was defined as P -value < .05., Results: The final cohort comprised of 414 779 patients from 3994 hospitals. The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) for high-volume centers were lower in 6 out of 8 surgeries examined. Small-bowel resection and partial colectomy operations had a significant decrease in mortality based on a volume threshold., Conclusion: We observed decreased mortality with higher surgical volume for small-bowel resection and partial colectomy operations. Such differences may be related to practice patterns during the perioperative period, as complications related to the perioperative care were significantly lower for high-volume centers.

In the sexual reproduction of flowering plants, two independent fertilization events occur almost simultaneously: two identical sperm cells fuse with either the egg cell or the central cell, resulting in embryo and endosperm development to produce a seed. GCS1/HAP2 is a sperm cell membrane protein essential for plasma membrane fusion with both female gametes. Other sperm membrane proteins, DMP8 and DMP9, are more important for egg cell fertilization than that of the central cell, suggesting its regulatory mechanism in GCS1/HAP2-driving gamete membrane fusion. To assess the GCS1/HAP2 regulatory cascade in the double fertilization system of flowering plants, we produced Arabidopsis transgenic lines expressing different GCS1/HAP2 variants and evaluated the fertilization in vivo. The fertilization pattern observed in GCS1 &#95;RNAi transgenic plants implied that sperm cells over the amount of GCS1/HAP2 required for fusion on their surface could facilitate membrane fusion with both female gametes. The cytological analysis of the dmp8dmp9 sperm cell arrested alone in an embryo sac supported GCS1/HAP2 distribution on the sperm surface. Furthermore, the fertilization failures with both female gametes were caused by GCS1/HAP2 secretion from the egg cell. These results provided a possible scenario of GCS1/HAP2 regulation, showing a potential scheme for capturing additional GCS1/HAP2-interacting proteins.

Preterm birth is one of the most significant obstetric complications. Inflammation reportedly promotes uterine contraction and weakening of the fetal membrane, which induces preterm birth. Previous studies using animal models of lipopolysaccharide-induced acute inflammation have shown that progesterone (P4) promotes uterine quiescence. However, this effect is not fully understood in chronic inflammation. This study aimed to investigate the effects of P4 on uterine contractility and inflammation of the fetal membrane in mice infected with Porphyromonas gingivalis ( P.g. ), a major periodontal pathogen as a model of preterm birth caused by chronic inflammation. Mice were injected with 1 mg of P4 from day 15.5 to 17.5. P4 prolonged the mean gestation period of P.g mice from 18.3 to 20.4 days, and no reduction in the gestation period was observed. P4 treatment suppressed spontaneous uterine contractility and decreased oxytocin sensitivity. In addition, the expression of inflammatory cytokines in the fetal membrane was significantly reduced. Thus, P4 prevented preterm birth by suppressing enhanced uterine contractility induced by chronic inflammation in this model. This result describes the effects of P4 in a chronic inflammation model, which may lead to a better understanding of the efficacy of P4 in preventing preterm birth in humans.

Suppressyn (SUPYN) is the first host-cell encoded mammalian protein shown to inhibit cell-cell fusion. Its expression is restricted to the placenta, where it negatively regulates syncytia formation in villi. Since its chromosomal localization overlaps with the Down syndrome critical region and the TS21 placenta is characterized by delayed maturation of cytotrophoblast cells and reduced syncytialization, we hypothesized a potential link between changes in SUPYN expression and morphologic abnormalities in the TS21 placenta. Here we demonstrate that an increase in chromosomal copy number in the TS21 placenta is associated with: (1) reduced fusion of cytotrophoblast cells into syncytiotrophoblast in vivo, (2) increased SUPYN transcription, translation and secretion in vivo, (3) increased SUPYN/syncytin-1 receptor degradation in vivo, (4) increased SUPYN transcription and secretion ex vivo, (5) decreased cytotrophoblast cell fusion ex vivo, and (6) reciprocal response of changes in SUPYN and CGB in TS21 placental cells ex vivo. These data suggest direct links between immature placentation in Down syndrome and increased SUPYN. Finally, we report a significant increase in secreted SUPYN concentration in maternal serum in women with pregnancies affected by Down syndrome, suggesting that SUPYN may be useful as an alternate or additional diagnostic marker for this disease., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Amnion membrane studies related to miscarriage have been conducted in the field of obstetrics and gynecology. However, the distribution of stem cells within the amnion and the differences in the properties of each type of stem cells are still not well understood. We address this gap in knowledge in the present study where we morphologically classified the amnion membrane, and we clarified the distribution of stem cells here to identify functionally different amniotic membrane-derived stem cells. The amnion can be divided into a site that is continuous with the umbilical cord (region A), a site that adheres to the placenta (region B), and a site that is located opposite the placenta (region C). We found that human amnion epithelial stem cells (HAECs) that strongly express stem cell markers were abundant in area A. HAEC not only expressesed stem cell-specific surface markers TRA-1-60, Tra-1-81, SSEA4, SSEA3, but was also OCT-3/4 positive and had alkaline phosphatase activity. Human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells expressed KLF-A, OCTA, Oct3/4, c-MYC and Sox2 which is transcription factor. Especially, in regions A and B they have expressed CD73, and the higher expression of BCRP which is drug excretion transporter protein than the other parts. These data suggest that different types of stem cells may have existed in different area. The understanding the relation with characteristics of the stem cells in each area and function would allow for the efficient harvest of suitable HAE and HAM stem cells as using tool for regenerative medicine., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Japanese Society of Microscopy. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

During the coronavirus disease pandemic, we observed a 6.4-fold increase in typhoid intestinal perforation incidence in Antananarivo, Madagascar. Thirteen perforations occurred within 6 months (February 2020-July 2020), compared with 13 perforations during the previous 41 months (August 2016-January 2020). The increase may be attributable to delayed healthcare seeking during the pandemic.