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In this paper, a preliminary evaluation study is conducted, which aiming to investigate the radar cross-section (RCS) value that is capable to be used as an input parameter for Artificial Neural network (ANN) backpropagation for foreign object debris (FOD) size classification. The experimental work procedure for dataset acquisition is described. The FOD simulator is used as the FOD target which is made of metal cylinder shape with nine various dimensions and its RCS is defined by using Maxwell’s equation. The location varying backscattered electromagnetic field from each target is measured for RCS calibration purposes. It is found that by using the received signal from radar, which is the RCS of the target and its locations, it can be utilized as input parameters of backpropagation algorithms. The ANN classification application is to define its size by the ranges; small (-30.99 to -21 dBsm), medium (-20.99 to -11 dBsm), and large (-10.99 to 0 dBsm). The interference signal getting from measurement (22.46 to 25.2 dBsm) exhibited good reflectivity behavior. The acquired input showed to be useful for ANN for FOD size classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limb reduction has occurred multiple times in tetrapod history. Among ratites, wing reductions range from mild vestigialization to complete loss, with emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae) serving as a model for studying the genetic mechanisms behind limb reduction. Here, we explore the developmental mechanisms underlying wing reduction in emu. Our analyses reveal that immobilization resulting from the absence of distal muscles contributes to skeletal shortening, fusion and left-right intraindividual variation. Expression analysis and single cell-RNA sequencing identify muscle progenitors displaying a dual lateral plate mesodermal and myogenic signature. These cells aggregate at the proximal region of wing buds and undergo cell death. We propose that this cell death, linked to the lack of distal muscle masses, underlines the morphological features and variability in skeletal elements due to reduced mechanical loading. Our results demonstrate that differential mobility during embryonic development may drive morphological diversification in vestigial structures., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Tissue elongation is a fundamental morphogenetic process to construct complex embryonic structures. In zebrafish, somites rapidly elongate in both dorsal and ventral directions, transforming from a cuboidal to a V-shape within a few hours of development. Despite its significance, the cellular behaviors that directly lead to somite elongation have not been examined at single-cell resolution. Here, we describe the motion and shapes of all cells composing the dorsal half of the somite in three-dimensional space using lightsheet microscopy. We identified two types of cell movements-in horizontal and dorsal directions-that occur simultaneously within individual cells, creating a complex, twisted flow of cells during somite elongation. Chemical inhibition of Sdf1 signaling disrupted the collective movement in both directions and inhibited somite elongation, suggesting that Sdf1 signaling is crucial for this cell flow. Furthermore, three-dimensional computational modeling suggested that horizontal cell rotation accelerates the perpendicular elongation of the somite along the dorsoventral axis. Together, our study offers novel insights into the role of collective cell migration in tissue morphogenesis, which proceeds dynamically in the three-dimensional space of the embryo., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Hepatic physiology depends on the liver's complex structural composition which among others, provides high oxygen supply rates, locally differential oxygen tension, endothelial paracrine signaling, as well as residual hemodynamic shear stress to resident hepatocytes. While functional improvements were shown by implementing these factors into hepatic culture systems, direct cause-effect relationships are often not well characterized-obfuscating their individual contribution in more complex microphysiological systems. By comparing increasingly complex hepatic in vitro culture systems that gradually implement these parameters, we investigate the influence of the cellular microenvironment to overall hepatic functionality in pharmacological applications. Here, hepatocytes were modulated in terms of oxygen tension and supplementation, endothelial coculture, and exposure to fluid shear stress delineated from oxygen influx. Results from transcriptomic and metabolomic evaluation indicate that particularly oxygen supply rates are critical to enhance cellular functionality-with cellular drug metabolism remaining comparable to physiological conditions after prolonged static culture. Endothelial signaling was found to be a major contributor to differential phenotype formation known as metabolic zonation, indicated by WNT pathway activity. Lastly, oxygen-delineated shear stress was identified to direct cellular fate towards increased hepatic plasticity and regenerative phenotypes at the cost of drug metabolic functionality - in line with regenerative effects observed in vivo. With these results, we provide a systematic evaluation of critical parameters and their impact in hepatic systems. Given their adherence to physiological effects in vivo, this highlights the importance of their implementation in biomimetic devices, such as organ-on-a-chip systems. Considering recent advances in basic liver biology, direct translation of physiological structures into in vitro models is a promising strategy to expand the capabilities of pharmacological models., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Availability of hepatic tissue for the investigation of metabolic processes is severely limited. While primary hepatocytes or animal models are widely used in pharmacological applications, a change in methodology towards more sustainable and ethical assays is highly desirable. Stem cell derived hepatic cells are generally regarded as a viable alternative for the above model systems, if current limitations in functionality and maturation can be overcome. By combining microfluidic organ-on-a-chip technology with individually differentiated, multicellular hepatic tissue fractions, we aim to improve overall functionality of hepatocyte-like cells, as well as evaluate cellular composition and interactions with non-parenchymal cell populations towards the formation of mature liver tissue. Utilizing a multi-omic approach, we show the improved maturation profiles of hepatocyte-like cells maintained in a dynamic microenvironment compared to standard tissue culture setups without continuous perfusion. In order to evaluate the resulting tissue, we employ single cell sequencing to distinguish formed subpopulations and spatial localization. While cellular input was strictly defined based on established differentiation protocols of parenchyma, endothelial and stellate cell fractions, resulting hepatic tissue was shown to comprise a complex mixture of epithelial and non-parenchymal fractions with specific local enrichment of phenotypes along the microchannel. Following this approach, we show the importance of passive, paracrine developmental processes in tissue formation. Using such complex tissue models is a crucial first step to develop stem cell-derived in vitro systems that can compare functionally with currently used pharmacological and toxicological applications., (© 2024 IOP Publishing Ltd.)

Food Safety Commission, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan (FSCJ) was established in 2003 and marked its 20 th anniversary in 2023. FSCJ held a commemorative ceremony and symposium to celebrate its 20 th anniversary at Mita conference hall (Mita, Minato-ku, Tokyo) on September 1st, 2023, which attracted a total of 164 on-site attendees including six media companies, as well as 460 online viewers. FSCJ Chairperson Dr. YAMAMOTO gave a summary of each session; Session 1 outlined the various future challenges against which risk assessment organizations must prepare. In Session 2, panelists shared information on the development of new evaluation methodologies and international collaborations in order to meet various global demands and issues. In Session 3, the FSCJ introduced its future initiatives and called for international collaboration in sharing information and expertise to address data gaps and emerging issues, to which all panelists expressed their support. The importance of personnel development to tackle these challenges was also raised. In concluding the seminar, Dr. YAMAMOTO expressed that the common understanding gained from this occasion was the most fruitful achievement, owing to the international colleagues who shared their thought-provoking presentations and insights., (©2024 Food Safety Commission, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan.)

Introduction: This study elucidates factors affecting the severity and mortality in pre-Omicron and Omicron strains of SARS-CoV-2 and vaccination impact., Methods: This single-center retrospective observational study included 1598 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Patients were grouped into "pre-Omicron" and "Omicron" periods. The endpoint was severe COVID-19 (oxygen saturation [SpO 2 ] < 94%). Logistic regression examined associations between clinical factors, including hemodialysis (HD), and the endpoint., Results: The HD patient mortality rate dropped from 16% pre-Omicron to 4% during the Omicron epidemic. HD was significantly associated with the study endpoint in both epidemics. Unvaccinated patients had a greater risk of reaching the study endpoint among patients receiving HD., Conclusion: These findings suggest that the Omicron variant, alongside vaccination and healthcare innovations, led to improved prognoses for HD patients with COVID-19. However, HD patients remain at a greater risk for severe COVID-19. Increased vaccination rates and optimized healthcare resources can improve this vulnerable population's prognoses., (© 2023 International Society for Apheresis and Japanese Society for Apheresis.)

In hepatic dysfunction, renal pharmacokinetic adaptation can be observed, although information on the changes in drug exposure and the interorgan regulation of membrane transporters in kidney in liver diseases is limited. This study aimed to clarify the effects of renal exposure to nephrotoxic drugs during cholestasis induced by bile duct ligation (BDL). Among the 11 nephrotoxic drugs examined, the tissue accumulation of imatinib and cisplatin in kidney slices obtained from mice 2 weeks after BDL operation was higher than that in sham-operated mice. The uptake of imatinib in the kidney slices of BDL mice was slightly higher, whereas its efflux from the slices was largely decreased compared to that in sham-operated mice. Proteomic analysis revealed a reduction in renal expression of the efflux transporter multidrug resistance-associated protein 6 (Mrp6/Abcc6) in BDL mice, and both imatinib and cisplatin were identified as Mrp6 substrates. Survival probability after cisplatin administration was reduced in BDL mice. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that BDL-induced cholestasis leads to the downregulation of the renal basolateral efflux transporter Mrp6, resulting in drug accumulation in renal cells and promoting drug-induced renal injury., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 American Pharmacists Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Craniofacial anomalies are one of the most frequent birth defects worldwide and are often caused by genetic and environmental factors such as pharmaceuticals and chemical agents. Although identifying adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) is a central issue for evaluating the teratogenicity, the AOP causing craniofacial anomalies has not been identified. Recently, zebrafish has gained interest as an emerging model for predicting teratogenicity because of high throughput, cost-effectiveness and availability of various tools for examining teratogenic mechanisms. Here, we established zebrafish sox10-EGFP reporter lines to visualize cranial neural crest cells (CNCCs) and have identified the AOPs for craniofacial anomalies. When we exposed the transgenic embryos to teratogens that were reported to cause craniofacial anomalies in mammals, CNCC migration and subsequent morphogenesis of the first pharyngeal arch were impaired at 24 hours post-fertilization. We also found that cell proliferation and apoptosis of the migratory CNCCs were disturbed, which would be key events of the AOP. From these results, we propose that our sox10-EGFP reporter lines serve as a valuable model for detecting craniofacial skeletal abnormalities, from early to late developmental stages. Given that the developmental process of CNCCs around this stage is highly conserved between zebrafish and mammals, our findings can be extrapolated to mammalian craniofacial development and thus help in predicting craniofacial anomalies in human., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology.)

The promise of artificial photosynthesis to solve environmental and energy issues such as global warming and the depletion of fossil fuels has inspired intensive research into photocatalytic systems for CO 2 reduction to produce value-added chemicals such as CO and CH 3 OH. Among the photocatalytic systems for CO 2 reduction, self-photosensitizing catalysts, bearing the functions of both photosensitization and catalysis, have attracted considerable attention recently, as such catalysts do not depend on the efficiency of electron transfer from the photosensitizer to the catalyst. Here, we have synthesized and characterized a dinuclear Ru II complex bearing two molecules of a tripodal hexadentate ligand as chelating and linking ligands by X-ray crystallography to establish the structure explicitly and have used various spectroscopic and electrochemical methods to elucidate the photoredox characteristics. The dinuclear complex has been revealed to act as a self-photosensitizing catalyst, which acts not only as a photosensitizer but also as a catalyst for CO 2 reduction. The dinuclear Ru II complex is highly durable and performs efficient and selective CO 2 reduction to produce CO with a turnover number of 2400 for 26 h. The quantum yield of the CO formation is also very high─19.7%─and the catalysis is efficient, even at a low concentration (∼1.5%) of CO 2 .

The left-right symmetry breaking of vertebrate embryos requires nodal flow. However, the molecular mechanisms that mediate the asymmetric gene expression regulation under nodal flow remain elusive. Here, we report that heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) is asymmetrically activated in the Kupffer's vesicle of zebrafish embryos in the presence of nodal flow. Deficiency in HSF1 expression caused a significant situs inversus and disrupted gene expression asymmetry of nodal signaling proteins in zebrafish embryos. Further studies demonstrated that HSF1 is a mechanosensitive protein. The mechanical sensation ability of HSF1 is conserved in a variety of mechanical stimuli in different cell types. Moreover, cilia and Ca 2+ -Akt signaling axis are essential for the activation of HSF1 under mechanical stress in vitro and in vivo . Considering the conserved expression of HSF1 in organisms, these findings unveil a fundamental mechanism of gene expression regulation by mechanical clues during embryonic development and other physiological and pathological transformations., Competing Interests: There are no competing interests., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Anterior and posterior paired appendages of vertebrates are notable examples of heterochrony in the relative timing of their development. In teleosts, posterior paired appendages (pelvic fin buds) emerge much later than their anterior paired appendages (pectoral fin buds). Pelvic fin buds of zebrafish ( Danio rerio ) appear at 3 weeks post-fertilization (wpf) during the larva-to-juvenile transition (metamorphosis), whereas pectoral fin buds arise from the lateral plate mesoderm on the yolk surface at the embryonic stage. Here we explored the mechanism by which presumptive pelvic fin cells maintain their fate, which is determined at the embryonic stage, until the onset of metamorphosis. Expression analysis revealed that transcripts of pitx1 , one of the key factors for the development of posterior paired appendages, became briefly detectable in the posterior lateral plate mesoderm at early embryonic stages. Further analysis indicated that the pelvic fin-specific pitx1 enhancer was in the poised state at the larval stage and is activated at the juvenile stage. We discuss the implications of these findings for the heterochronic development of pelvic fin buds., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Pratiwi, Hirasawa, Kato, Munakata, Ueda, Moriyama, Yu, Kawanishi and Tanaka.)

C ellular protrusions are fundamental structures for a wide variety of cellular behaviors, such as cell migration, cell-cell interaction, and signal reception. Visualization of cellular protrusions in living cells can be achieved by labeling of cytoskeletal actin with genetically encoded fluorescent probes. Here, we describe a detailed experimental procedure to visualize cellular protrusions in medaka embryos, which consists of the following steps: preparation of Actin-Chromobody-GFP and α-bungarotoxin mRNAs for actin labeling and immobilization of the embryo, respectively; microinjection of the mRNAs into embryos in a mosaic fashion to sparsely label individual cells; removal of the hard chorion, which hampers observation; and visualization of cellular protrusions in the embryo with a confocal microscope. Overall, our protocol provides a simple method to reveal cellular protrusions in vivo by confocal microscopy., Competing Interests: Competing interestsThe authors declare no competing interests., (©Copyright : © 2023 The Authors; This is an open access article under the CC BY license.)

Purpose: The anatomical distribution of perianal warts is associated with patient characteristics such as sexual orientation. The purpose of this study is to confirm this experiential knowledge using a quantitative classification system and analysis and to obtain findings useful for future treatment., Methods: From January 2014 to December 2020, 93 patients with perianal warts presented to our hospital. Patients were analyzed for age, sex, lesion site, and recurrence type, among other factors. The lesion site was divided into skin (S) and anal epithelium (anoderm, A), and the number and degree of each were classified into grades 0 to 3. The higher grade between S and A determines its dominant type, such as type S (e.g., S3A1) and type A (e.g., S0A2)., Results: The average age of the patients was 39.6 years, and the percentage of patients who were not married was 54.8%. In all, 95.8% of patients were positive for low-risk human papillomavirus (HPV). Type S accounted for 80.6%, whereas type A accounted for 9.7%. Type A cases were all male and were all presumed to be men who have sex with men (MSM). This indicates that the determination of type A may be highly specific for MSM. The type at the time of recurrence was the same type at the time of the first surgery in almost all cases., Conclusion: In cases of perianal warts, it is useful to analyze the lesion by considering the range and grade separately for daily clinical practice on proctologist.

Background: Maintenance haemodialysis (HD) patients are at higher risk for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Because of a limited number of facilities that can provide inpatient treatment for COVID-19 and HD, it is important to identify HD patients who are at high risk for severe COVID-19. For mild to moderate COVID-19 patients, chemokine CC-motif ligand 17 (CCL17) was reported to be a predictive marker for severe COVID-19; however, the validity of CCL17 among HD patients is unknown., Methods: This retrospective observational study enrolled 107 HD patients with mild or moderate COVID-19 at hospitalization (mean age 70.1 ± 15.1 years; 71.0% male). Receiver operating characteristic and logistic regression analyses were used to examine the predictive validity of indices for severe COVID-19., Results: During hospitalization, 32 patients developed severe COVID-19. Serum CCL17 collected at admission exhibited a higher area under the curve value (0.818) compared with that of other indicators including lactate dehydrogenase and C-reactive protein for the prediction of severe COVID-19. The optimal cut-off value for CCL17 was 150.5 pg/mL. A multi-variate logistic analysis revealed that CCL17 (above 150.5 pg/mL) was significantly associated with severe COVID-19 (Odds ratio, 0.063; 95% Confidence interval [CI], 0.017-0.227; p < .001) even after adjustment for covariates. The addition of the CCL17 to a model consisting of vaccination status, albumin, blood urea nitrogen, C-reacting protein and lactate dehydrogenase significantly improved classification performance for severe COVID-19 using the net reclassification (1.16, 95% CI: 0.82-1.50, p < .001) and integrated discrimination (0.18, 95% CI: 0.09-0.26, p < .001) improvement., Conclusion: CCL17 levels in HD patients with mild or moderate COVID-19 predict risk of developing severe COVID-19., (© 2023 Asian Pacific Society of Nephrology.)

Objectives: This explores the characteristics of patients with worsening dementia who did not receive a specialized medical examination or care., Methods: This study utilized a mixed methods analysis. Of the 2712 people who received the Mini Mental State of Examination (MMSE) at the Community Consultation Center for Citizens with MCI and Dementia between December 2007 and December 2019, 1413 people who scored 23 points or less were included. Participants were categorized into mild, moderate, and severe groups, based on their MMSE scores. Participants' characteristics-gender, age, presence or absence of an escort, demographics, family type, and presence or absence of a family doctor-were compared between the groups. To further understand the severe group's characteristics, clinical psychologists recorded consultation forms were categorized., Results: More than 80% of the patients in each group had a family doctor. Moreover, all the severe groups had escorts, and the role of family members and supporters was important for the consultation. In the severe group, 29 patients had never received specialized medical care. Their characteristics were coded "non-existence" (fewer people or opportunities to notice their needs), "connection failure" (a lack of access or connections to consultations), and "evaluation failure" (not recognized as a problem requiring consultation)., Conclusions: It is necessary to improve primary physician education, disseminate knowledge, and raise awareness about dementia, besides building and strengthening networks to alleviate the isolation of dementia patients and their families. The psychological aspects of family members' denial regarding their family members with dementia must be addressed through intervention., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Millimeter wave fixed wireless systems in future backhaul and access network applications can be affected by weather conditions. The losses caused by rain attenuation and antenna misalignment due to wind-induced vibrations have greater impacts on the link budget reduction at E-band frequencies and higher. The current International Telecommunications Union Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) recommendation has been widely used to estimate rain attenuation, and the recent Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT) report provides the model to estimate the wind-induced attenuation. This article provides the first experimental study of the combined rain and wind effects in a tropical location using both models at a frequency in the E band (74.625 GHz) and a short distance of 150 m. In addition to using wind speeds for attenuation estimation, the setup also provides direct antenna inclination angle measurements using the accelerometer data. This solves the limitation of relying on the wind speed since the wind-induced loss is dependent on the inclination direction. The results show that the current ITU-R model can be used to estimate the attenuation of a short fixed wireless link under heavy rain, and the addition of wind attenuation via the APT model can estimate the worst-case link budget during high wind speeds.

Hemodialysis patients are vulnerable to severe and lethal COVID-19, and their protective immunity against COVID-19 is not yet fully understood. Therefore, we report a case of COVID-19 reinfection in a hemodialysis patient 81 days after the first episode and discuss the role of antibodies in SARS-CoV-2 infection. A hemodialysis patient developed asymptomatic COVID-19 due to an outbreak in a hospital on October 29th, 2020. As he was hospitalized and did not develop any symptoms, he was discharged on November 9th. On January 18th, he presented with symptomatic COVID-19 due to close household contact. Then, he developed respiratory failure and was transferred to National Center for Global Health and Medicine if he would need intensive care. He recovered with oxygen inhalation, favipiravir, and steroid treatment, and was discharged on February 12th. To evaluate anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies during two hospital stays, we measured immunoglobulin (Ig) G specific for S1 subunit of Spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 (IgG-S1) , IgG specific for the full-length S protein (anti-Spike IgG) and neutralizing antibodies. No seroconversion occurred 5 days after initial infection, the seroconversion of IgG-S1 was observed 10 days after the second infection. Similar to IgG-S1 antibody titer results, anti-Spike IgG and neutralizing antibodies increased from 12 days after the second infection. In conclusion, we experienced a case of COVID-19 reinfection in a hemodialysis patient 81 days after the first episode and showed the kinetics and role of antibodies in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Further studies are needed to understand SARS-CoV-2 reinfection risk in hemodialysis patients and its clinical significance., (© 2022. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to The Japan Society of Nephrology.)

Background: Hematuria is the essential symptom of IgA nephropathy that has been suggested to be associated with long-term renal prognosis, Tonsillectomy and steroid pulse therapy (TSP), which is widely practiced in Japan, is effective for achieving hematuria remission. However, some cases are refractory to TSP, and additional steroid pulse therapy (SP) administered to these cases to achieve remission of hematuria. Nonetheless, the clinical significance of additional SP is unknown., Methods: In this retrospective study, we enrolled 99 patients from Okubo Hospital whose hematuria persisted following TSP. Patients were divided into the hematuria remission and non-remission groups. A multivariate regression analysis was performed on the factors that contributed to hematuria remission., Results: Following TSP, 103 of 403 patients (32.3%) did not achieve hematuria remission. Additional SP were performed in 99 of these patients, and remission of hematuria was achieved in 57 (57.6%). Patients with a greater degree of improvement in hematuria with TSP were significantly more likely to have remission of hematuria with additional SP (p = 0.0084*). Even in the hematuria non-remission group, both hematuria and proteinuria improved after additional SP., Conclusion: In IgA nephropathy, additional SP could induce hematuria remission and reduce proteinuria., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Japanese Society of Nephrology.)

In the pharmaceutical industry, primary cultured hepatocytes is a standard tool used to assess hepatic metabolisms and toxicity in vitro . Drawbacks, however, include their functional deterioration upon isolation, mostly due to the lack of a physiological environment. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has been reported to improve the function of isolated hepatocytes by its high oxygen permeability when used as a material of microphysiological systems (MPS). However, its high chemical sorption property has impeded its practical use in drug development. In this study, we evaluated a new culture material, 4-polymethyl-1-pentene polymer (PMP), in comparison with PDMS and conventional tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS). First, we confirmed the high oxygen permeability and low sorption of PMP, and these properties were comparable with PDMS and TCPS, respectively. Moreover, using primary rat hepatocytes, we demonstrated maintained high levels of liver function at least for 1 week on PMP, with its low chemical sorption and high oxygen permeability being key factors in both revealing the potential of primary cultured hepatocytes and in performing an accurate evaluation of hepatic metabolisms. Taken together, we conclude that PMP is a superior alternative to both PDMS and TCPS, and a promising material for a variety of drug testing systems., Competing Interests: Authors KE and HM were employed by Mitsuichemicals, Inc. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The authors declare that this study received funding from Mitsuichemicals, Inc. The funder was involved in the study by way of authors from the company participating in the research., (Copyright © 2022 Nishikawa, Ito, Tokito, Hirono, Inamura, Scheidecker, Danoy, Kawanishi, Arakawa, Kato, Esashika, Miyasako and Sakai.)

The dorsal axial muscles, or epaxial muscles, are a fundamental structure covering the spinal cord and vertebrae, as well as mobilizing the vertebrate trunk. To date, mechanisms underlying the morphogenetic process shaping the epaxial myotome are largely unknown. To address this, we used the medaka zic1/zic4 -enhancer mutant Double anal fin ( Da ), which exhibits ventralized dorsal trunk structures resulting in impaired epaxial myotome morphology and incomplete coverage over the neural tube. In wild type, dorsal dermomyotome (DM) cells reduce their proliferative activity after somitogenesis. Subsequently, a subset of DM cells, which does not differentiate into the myotome population, begins to form unique large protrusions extending dorsally to guide the epaxial myotome dorsally. In Da , by contrast, DM cells maintain the high proliferative activity and mainly form small protrusions. By combining RNA- and ChIP-sequencing analyses, we revealed direct targets of Zic1, which are specifically expressed in dorsal somites and involved in various aspects of development, such as cell migration, extracellular matrix organization, and cell-cell communication. Among these, we identified wnt11 as a crucial factor regulating both cell proliferation and protrusive activity of DM cells. We propose that dorsal extension of the epaxial myotome is guided by a non-myogenic subpopulation of DM cells and that wnt11 empowers the DM cells to drive the coverage of the neural tube by the epaxial myotome., Competing Interests: AH, RN, AS, YH, YN, JW, HT, TK No competing interests declared, (© 2022, Heilig et al.)

Kupffer's vesicle (KV) in the teleost embryo is a fluid-filled vesicle surrounded by a layer of epithelial cells with rotating primary cilia. KV transiently acts as the left-right organizer and degenerates after the establishment of left-right asymmetric gene expression. Previous labelling experiments in zebrafish embryos indicated that descendants of KV-epithelial cells are incorporated into mesodermal tissues after the collapse of KV. However, the overall picture of their differentiation potency had been unclear due to the lack of suitable genetic tools and molecular analyses. In the present study, we established a novel zebrafish transgenic line with a promoter of dand5, in which all KV-epithelial cells and their descendants are specifically labelled until the larval stage. We found that KV-epithelial cells undergo epithelial-mesenchymal transition upon KV collapse and infiltrate into adjacent mesodermal progenitors, the presomitic mesoderm and chordoneural hinge. Once incorporated, the descendants of KV-epithelial cells expressed distinct mesodermal differentiation markers and contributed to the mature populations such as the axial muscles and notochordal sheath through normal developmental process. These results indicate that differentiated KV-epithelial cells possess unique plasticity in that they are reemployed into mesodermal lineages through transdifferentiation after they complete their initial role in KV., (© 2022 Japanese Society of Developmental Biologists.)

This Letter describes a high-speed yet simple fiber-wireless-fiber system in the 100-GHz band using a photonics-enabled receiver and optical phase modulator. At the antenna site, a millimeter-wave signal is down-converted to the microwave band using an electronic mixer with a local oscillator signal generated remotely using photonic technology. The down-converted signal is converted to an optical signal using an optical phase modulator. At the receiver, a simple direct detection of the phase-modulated signal is performed using optical filtering technology. To demonstrate the proof-of-concept, we successfully transmitted a 64-quadrature amplitude modulation orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing signal with a record line rate of 80 Gb/s (net data rate of 55 Gb/s) over a system consisting of two radio-over-fiber links and a 5 m wireless link in the 100-GHz band. The proposed system with simple antenna sites and optical transceivers can facilitate the deployment of ultra-dense small cells in high-frequency bands in beyond-5G networks.

Objectives: Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) is a peripheral vascular disorder that frequently occurs in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Although therapeutic heating seems reasonable given that RP is elicited by cold stimuli, the effects of heating are still unclear. We examined the effects of heating applied on various body parts in SSc patients with RP of fingers., Methods: Fourteen SSc patients heated their neck, elbows, and wrists with disposable heating pads for 1 week each. The visual analogue scale (VAS) for RP during each heating period was compared with that of each 1-week pre-treatment interval. On the day after the expiration of each heating period, their finger temperature, the finger blood flow, and angiogenesis-related factors (vascular endothelial growth factor, endostatin, angiopoietin-1, and angiopoietin-2) obtained from the cubital vein and fingertip were measured., Results: The mean VAS was significantly reduced during the heating of the neck and elbows. Fingertip blood samples showed significantly increased angiopoietin-1 after each of the heating periods and increased endostatin after wrist heating. After the termination of heating, changes in finger temperature or blood flow could not be detected., Conclusions: Heating the neck or elbows can alleviate RP in SSc. The heat up-regulates angiopoietin-1 in the fingers., (© Japan College of Rheumatology 2022. Published by Oxford University Press.)

Background: Because patients on maintenance hemodialysis (HD) have an impaired immune response to pathogens, they are at higher risk of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, data on antibody production among HD patients with COVID-19 is scarce. Thus, we performed a retrospective cohort study evaluating severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus two antibody (SARS-CoV-2) production within 1 month after COVID-19 onset in hospitalized patients on HD., Methods: SARS-CoV-2-specific immunoglobulin (Ig) G levels were quantified using an iFlash 3000 Chemiluminescence Immunoassay analyzer (Shenzhen YHLO Biotech Co., Ltd.) to detect IgG antibodies specific for the S1 subunit of the spike protein (IgG-S1). Propensity score matching was used to balance covariate distribution in HD and non-HD patients. From April 2020 to February 2021, antibody testing was performed on 161 hospitalized patients with symptomatic COVID-19. Of them, 34 HD patients were matched to 68 non-HD patients., Results: After propensity score matching, the median levels of IgG-S1 in the HD patients at 7-13 days after symptom onset were significantly lower than in non-HD patients, especially in those with severe disease. Among all patients, those with severe disease produced lower levels of IgG-S1 at 7-13 days compared with non-severe patients., Conclusion: COVID-19 patients with severe disease, especially those undergoing HD, had lower IgG-S1 production in the second week of the disease. Thus, the increased risk of severe COVID-19 in HD patients may be, in part, due to a slow and reduced antibody response., (© 2021. Japanese Society of Nephrology.)