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Background The role of preoperative MRI in women 35 years of age or younger with breast cancer remains controversial. Purpose To determine the association between preoperative MRI and surgical outcomes in women aged 35 years or younger with breast cancer by using propensity score (PS) analysis to investigate the impact of preoperative MRI. Materials and Methods Women 35 years of age or younger diagnosed with breast cancer between 2007 and 2017 who had or had not undergone preoperative breast MRI were retrospectively identified. The MRI detection rate of additional suspicious lesions was analyzed, and changes in surgical management were recorded. Inverse probability weighting (IPW) and PS matching were used to adjust 19 variables and to create a balance between the two groups. Surgical outcomes were compared by using univariable logistic regression. Results Among 964 women (mean age ± standard deviation, 32 years ± 3), 665 (69%) had undergone preoperative MRI (MRI group; mean age, 32 years ± 3) and 299 (31%) had not (no-MRI group; mean age, 32 years ± 3). In the MRI group, additional suspicious lesions were found in 178 of the 665 women (27%), with 88 of those 178 women (49%) having malignant lesions. The surgical management was changed in 99 of the 665 women (15%) due to MRI findings, which was appropriate for 62 of those 99 women (63%). In the IPW analysis, the MRI group showed lower odds of repeat surgery (odds ratio [OR], 0.13; 95% CI: 0.07, 0.21; P < .001) and higher odds of initial mastectomy (OR, 1.62; 95% CI: 1.17, 2.25; P = .004). However, there was no difference in the overall mastectomy rate (OR, 1.24; 95% CI: 0.91, 1.68; P = .17) compared with the no-MRI group. These results were consistent when using the PS matching method. Conclusion Preoperative MRI in young women with breast cancer is useful for detecting additional malignancy and improving surgical outcomes by reducing the repeat surgery rate, with a similar likelihood of overall mastectomy. © RSNA, 2021 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

Background Background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) is a known risk factor for breast cancer. However, studies on the association between BPE and second breast cancer risk are still lacking. Purpose To investigate whether BPE at surveillance breast MRI is associated with subsequent second breast cancer risk in women with a personal history of breast cancer. Materials and Methods A retrospective search of the imaging database of an academic medical center identified consecutive surveillance breast MRI examinations performed between January 2008 and December 2017 in women who underwent surgery for primary breast cancer and had no prior diagnosis of second breast cancer. BPE at surveillance breast MRI was qualitatively assessed using a four-category classification of minimal, mild, moderate, or marked. Future second breast cancer was defined as ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence or contralateral breast cancer diagnosed at least 1 year after each surveillance breast MRI examination. Factors associated with future second breast cancer risk were evaluated using the multivariable Fine-Gray subdistribution hazard model. Results Among the 2668 women (mean age at baseline surveillance breast MRI, 49 years ± 8 [SD]), 109 developed a second breast cancer (49 ipsilateral, 58 contralateral, and two ipsilateral and contralateral) at a median follow-up of 5.8 years. Mild, moderate, or marked BPE at surveillance breast MRI (hazard ratio [HR], 2.1 [95% CI: 1.4, 3.1]

Background Few studies have compared abbreviated breast MRI with full-protocol MRI in women with a personal history of breast cancer (PHBC), and they have not adjusted for confounding variables. Purpose To compare abbreviated breast MRI with full-protocol MRI in women with PHBC by using propensity score matching to adjust for confounding variables. Materials and Methods In this single-center retrospective study, women with PHBC who underwent full-protocol MRI (January 2008-August 2017) or abbreviated MRI (September 2017-April 2019) were identified. With use of a propensity score-matched cohort, screening performances were compared between the two MRI groups with the McNemar test or a propensity score-adjusted generalized estimating equation. The coprimary analyses were sensitivity and specificity. The secondary analyses were the cancer detection rate, interval cancer rate, positive predictive value for biopsies performed (PPV3), and Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) category 3 short-term follow-up rate. Results There were 726 women allocated to each MRI group (mean age ± SD, 50 years ± 8 for both groups). Abbreviated MRI and full-protocol MRI showed comparable sensitivity (15 of 15 cancers [100%; 95% CI: 78, 100] vs nine of 13 cancers [69%; 95% CI: 39, 91], respectively

Immunotherapy has a number of advantages over traditional anti-tumor therapy but can cause severe adverse reactions due to an overactive immune system. In contrast, a novel metabolic treatment approach can induce metabolic vulnerability through multiple cancer cell targets. Here, we show a therapeutic effect by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in TNBC cells, by treating with cytosolic thymidylate 5'-phosphohydrolase (CT). We show that a sustained consumption of dTMP by CT could induce dNTP imbalance, leading to apoptosis as TCA intermediates were depleted to mitigate this imbalance. These cytotoxic effects appeared to be different, depending on substrate specificity of the 5’ nucleotide or metabolic dependency of the cancer cell lines. Using representative TNBC cell lines, we reveal how the TNBC cells were affected by CT-transfection through ECAR/OCR analysis and differential transcription/expression levels. We suggest a novel approach for treating refractory TNBC by an mRNA drug that can exploit metabolic dependencies to exacerbate cell metabolic vulnerability.

This study aimed to evaluate the imaging and pathological findings in axillary lymph nodes in patients with breast cancer who received concurrent ipsilateral coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination. Of the 19 women with breast cancer who received concurrent COVID-19 vaccination shot in the arm ipsilateral to breast cancer, axillary lymphadenopathy was observed in 84.2% (16 of 19) of patients on ultrasound (US) and 71.4% (10 of 14) of patients on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and 21.0% (4 of 19) of patients were diagnosed with metastasis. Abnormal US and MRI findings of cortical thickening, effacement of the fatty hilum, round shape, and asymmetry in the number or size relative to the contralateral side were noted in more than half of the non-metastatic and metastatic lymph nodes; however, statistical significance was not noted. Axillary lymphadenopathy is commonly observed in patients with breast cancer who receive concurrent ipsilateral COVID-19 vaccination without specific differential imaging features. Thus, understanding the limitations of axillary imaging and cautious interpretation is necessary to avoid overestimation or underestimation of the axillary disease burden.

This study intends to evaluate the seasonal flow direction of CH4 in Northeast Asia by using GOSAT (Greenhouse Observing SATellite), in an attempt to overcome costly, laborious and time consuming ground observation which has been frequently pointed out in existing studies. It was found that the overall spatial distribution of Methane gas in Northeast Asia varies depending on the latitude, and that CH4 mainly flows southeast or east in spring, autumn and winter, but northeast or north in summer. Similar to the flow of prevailing wind and monsoons in Northeast Asia, these results show that CH4 flows mainly from the west to the east. The results also indicate that methane gas discharged from China is influencing even the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

A left inferior vena cava (IVC) is an IVC anomaly with a prevalence of 0.2% - 0.5%. Typically, the left IVC joins the left renal vein, crosses anterior to the aorta, and unites with the right renal vein to form a normal right IVC. We report a case of an unusual left IVC with retrohepatic crossing over and intrahepatic venocaval shunts. In addition, situs ambiguous and polysplenia accompanied the anomaly. Though most IVC anomalies are discovered incidentally on imaging without relevant symptoms, knowledge about its variants is important to avoid misinterpretation on diagnostic imaging and to plan for surgical and interventional procedures.

β-Glucosidase, which hydrolyzes cellobiose into two glucoses, plays an important role in the process of saccharification of the lignocellulosic biomass. In this study, we optimized the activity of β-glucosidase of brown-rot fungus Fomitopsis pinicola KCTC 6208 using the response surface methodology (RSM) with various concentrations of glucose, yeast extract and ascorbic acid, which are the most significant nutrients for activity of β-glucosidase. The highest activity of β-glucosidase was achieved 3.02% of glucose, 4.35% of yeast extract, and 7.41% ascorbic acid where ascorbic acid was most effective. The maximum activity of β-glucosidase predicted by the RSM was 15.34 U/mg, which was similar to the experimental value 14.90 U/mg at the 16th day of incubation. This optimized activity of β-glucosidase was 23.6 times higher than the preliminary activity value, 0.63 U/mg, and was also much higher than previous values reported in other fungi strains. Therefore, a simplified medium supplemented with a cheap vitamin source, such as ascorbic acid, could be a cost effective mean of increasing β-glucosidase activity.

CRM197, which retains the same inflammatory and immune-stimulant properties as diphtheria toxin but with reduced toxicity, has been used as a safe carrier in conjugated vaccines. Expression of recombinant CRM197 in E. coli is limited due to formation of inclusion bodies. Soluble expression attempts in Bacillus subtilis, P. fluorescens, Pichia pastoris, and E. coli were partially unsuccessful or did not generate yields sufficient for industrial scale production. Multiple approaches have been attempted to produce CRM197 in E. coli, which has attractive features such as high yield, simplicity, fast growth, etc., including expression of oxidative host, concurrent expression of chaperones, or periplasmic export. Recently, alternative methods for recovery of insoluble proteins expressed in E. coli were reported. Compared to traditional denaturation/refolding, these methods used the non-denaturing solubilization agent, N-lauroylsarkosine to obtain higher recovery yields of native proteins. Based on this work, here, we focused on solubilization of CRM197 from E. coli inclusion bodies. First, CRM197 was expressed as inclusion bodies by high-level expression of recombinant CRM197 in E. coli (126.8 mg/g dcw). Then bioactive CRM197 was isolated from these inclusion bodies with high yield (108.1 mg/g dcw) through solubilization with N-lauroylsarkosine including Triton X-100 and CHAPS, and purified by Ni-affinity chromatography and size-exclusion chromatography. In this study, we present a cost-effective alternative for the production of bioactive CRM197 and compare our recovery yield with yields in other production processes.

We have fabricated Pt-deposited Pd electrodes via a two-gun sputtering deposition system by separately operating Pd and Pt target as a function of sputtering time of Pt target. For Pt-deposited Pd electrodes (Pd/Pt-X), Pd were first deposited on the substrates at 20 W for 5min, followed by depositing Pt on the Pd-only electrodes as a function of sputtering time (X=1, 3, 5, 7, and 10min) at 20W on the Pt target. As the sputtering time of Pt target increased, the portion of Pt on the Pd electrodes increased, representing an increased coverage of Pt on the Pd electrodes. The Pd/Pt-7 electrode having an optimized Pt coverage exhibits an excellent electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation reaction.

Background Lactulose, a synthetic disaccharide, has received increasing interest due to its role as a prebiotic, specifically proliferating Bifidobacilli and Lactobacilli and enhancing absorption of calcium and magnesium. The use of cellobiose 2-epimerase (CE) is considered an interesting alternative for industrial production of lactulose. CE reversibly converts d-glucose residues into d-mannose residues at the reducing end of unmodified β-1,4-linked oligosaccharides, including β-1,4-mannobiose, cellobiose, and lactose. Recently, a few CE 3D structure were reported, revealing mechanistic details. Using this information, we redesigned the substrate binding site of CE to extend its activity from epimerization to isomerization. Results Using superimposition with 3 known CE structure models, we identified 2 residues (Tyr114, Asn184) that appeared to play an important role in binding epilactose. We modified these residues, which interact with C2 of the mannose moiety, to prevent epimerization to epilactose. We found a Y114E mutation led to increased release of a by-product, lactulose, at 65 °C, while its activity was low at 37 °C. Notably, this phenomenon was observed only at high temperature and more reliably when the substrate was increased. Using Y114E, isomerization of lactose to lactulose was investigated under optimized conditions, resulting in 86.9 g/l of lactulose and 4.6 g/l of epilactose for 2 h when 200 g/l of lactose was used. Conclusion These results showed that the Y114E mutation increased isomerization of lactose, while decreasing the epimerization of lactose. Thus, a subtle modification of the active site pocket could extend its native activity from epimerization to isomerization without significantly impairing substrate binding. While additional studies are required to scale this to an industrial process, we demonstrated the potential of engineering this enzyme based on structural analysis. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12934-017-0841-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The carbon-supported PdCo@Pt core–shell nanoparticles for an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) were prepared via a two-step process at room temperature. The as-prepared PdCo@Pt/C with an average particle size of ~3.5 nm exhibited a well-defined nanostructure consisting of Pd-rich core and Pt shell formed by displacing Co core with Pt. Compared to pure Pt, PdCo@Pt/C showed a higher current density in the kinetic controlled region and more positive half-wave potential for the ORR. In a cycling stability test of the PdCo@Pt/C electrocatalyst, no remarkable activity loss was seen.

We demonstrate mesoporous molybdenum nitride nanobelts as a cathode catalyst synthesized by a topotactic reaction process. The molybdenum nitride nanobelts exhibit a single-crystalline face-centered cubic Mo2N. Moreover, the molybdenum nitride nanobelts exhibit a mesoporous structure with ~4.3 nm as an average pore size and ~41.9 m2 g−1 as a specific surface area. The improved electrocatalytic activity of mesoporous molybdenum nitride nanobelts toward oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline solution might be mainly attributed to high specific surface area and mesoporous structure.

G-SEED aims for establishing green environmental building with energy saving and has started for evaluating with multi-residential complex in 2002 by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure & Transport (MOLIT) and the Ministry of Environment to develop the current 10 building types and new & existing building types to be applied. Since G-SEED has been developed for more than 10 years, the strategy of globalization is needed with constant review itself and comparison between other assessments to understand current situation from the global perspectives. This study draws similarities and differences of G-SEED and LEED criteria by the comparison from re-constructed LEED criteria based on G-SEED. `Energy & Pollution` is the most concerned category in both assessments as the result of analysis on category rates. Next concerns are `Material & Resources`, `Indoor Environment` and `Water Management`. The unique categories in both criteria are `Ecological Environment` in G-SEED and `Innovation & Design Process` in LEED. The conclusion of this research is that two assessments are organized at different locations and with different strategies for developing green building but there are common concerns such as energy saving, material use, indoor environment. As a result, it is expected to use fundamental data for developing G-SEED for global standard.

Additional file 1. Figure S1. Three-dimentional structure of CsCE (PDB ID: 4Z4L). Table S1. Data and refinement statistics. Table S2. Comparison of isomerase/epimerase activities on CsCE N184X mutants at 37 °C and 65 °C. Table S3. Comparison of isomerase/epimerase activities on N184Q, N184D and N184R mutants combined with Y114E at 65 °C.

This study is to explore the characteristics and trends of the interior design of the residence area of the cruise ships. The interior of the cruise ships running three Asian countries - Korea, Japan and China was analyzed to understand the design of the public area and the cabin area. The interior of the ships showed the modern, high-tech style with their unique concept. Also, the feeling of the openness was emphasized in two ways- the visual and psychological expression and the spatial application. The contrast of color and the effect of artificial lighting used to express the extended feeling of the closed space inside the cruise ship. The results are expected to contribute to understand the interior design of the worldwide cruise ship and be used as a valuable data for the development of the interior design of the cruise ship.

Hydrogels are thought to be a promising delivery carrier for protein drugs because of their favorable aqueous environment compared with nano/micro-particles of hydrophobic polymer such as PLGA. In this study, nano-sized hydrogels (nanogels) were fabricated using inverse-miniemulsion polymerization method. The mean size of nanogels in range of 90-160nm and affected by the preparation parameters such as sonication time and concentration of monomer. While longer sonication time and lower concentration of acrylamide monomer showed a tendency to produce smaller nanogels and to have lower lysozyme activity, variation of bis-methylene acrylamide concentration made no difference. Although both longer soncaton time and lower acrylamide concentration increased in vitro release rate, acrylamide concentration was more effectively affected to the control of protein release rate, which indicated that the release rate of protein from nanogels affected by not only their size but also internal structure. In conclusion, nanogels prepared by inverse-miniemulsion can be a useful carrier for application of protein drug, because of simple process, minimum contact of organic solvent and high protein activity.

Galacto-oligosaccharides have become the focus of a great deal of attention in the field of functional foods, owing to their known health benefits and potential to improve the quality of many foods. Because of these properties, they are currently used as low-calorie sweeteners in fermented milk products, confectioneries, breads, and beverages. In this article, the characterization and product inhibition of many microbial beta-galactosidases with transgalactosylation activities, their galacto-oligosaccharide production from lactose, and the application of galacto-oligosaccharides are reviewed. A method for increasing galacto-oligosaccharide production by reducing product inhibition properties via the immobilization and structure modification of the enzymes is also introduced herein.

A recombinant beta-galactosidase from Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus was purified with a specific activity of 211 U mg(-1) by using heat treatment and His-trap affinity chromatography. The native enzyme was an 80-kDa trimer with a molecular mass of 240 kDa. Maximum activity was observed at pH 6.0 and 80 degrees C, and the half-life at 70 degrees C was 48 h. The enzyme exhibited hydrolytic activity for p-nitrophenyl-beta-D: -galactopyranoside (pNPGal), oNPGal, or lactose, whereas no activity for p-nitrophenyl-beta-D: -glucopyranoside (pNPGlu), oNPGlu, or cellobiose. The catalytic residues E150 and E311 of beta-galactosidase from C. saccharolyticus were completely conserved in all aligned glycoside hydrolase family 42 beta-galactosidases. The results indicated that the enzyme was a beta-galactosidase. Galactose uncompetitively inhibited the enzyme. Glucose inhibition of the enzyme was the lowest among beta-galactosidases. When 50 g l(-1) galactose was added, the enzyme activity for pNPGal was reduced to 26%. When 400 g l(-1) glucose instead of galactose was added, the activity was reduced to 82%. When adding galactose (200 g l(-1)), only 14% of the lactose was hydrolyzed after 180 min. In contrast, the addition of glucose (400 g l(-1)) did not affect lactose hydrolysis, and more than 99% of the lactose was hydrolyzed after 120 min.

We expressed a putative beta-galactosidase from Sulfolobus acidocaldarius in Escherichia coli and purified the recombinant enzyme using heat treatment and Hi-Trap ion-exchange chromatography. The resultant protein gave a single 57-kDa band by SDS-PAGE and had a specific activity of 58 U/mg. The native enzyme existed as a dimer with a molecular mass of 114 kDa by gel filtration. The maximum activity of this enzyme was observed at pH 5.5 and 90 degrees C. The half-lives of the enzyme at 70, 80, and 90 degrees C were 494, 60, and 0.2 h, respectively. The hydrolytic activity with p-nitrophenyl(pNP) substrates followed the order p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-fucopyranosidepNP-beta-D-glucopyranosidepNP-beta-D-galactopyranosidepNP-beta-D-mannopyranosidepNP-beta-D-xylopyranoside, but not toward aryl-alpha-glycosides or pNP-beta-L-arabinofuranoside. Thus, the enzyme was actually a beta-glycosidase. The beta-glycosidase exhibited transglycosylation activity with pNP-beta-D-galactopyranoside, pNP-beta-D-glucopyranoside, and pNP-beta-D-fucopyranoside in decreasing order of activity, in the reverse order of its hydrolytic activity. The hydrolytic activity was higher toward cellobiose than toward lactose, but the transglycosylation activity was lower with cellobiose than with lactose.

Since Pt-based catalysts have the disadvantages of high cost, large overpotential loss, and limited long-term stability, there have been various promising alternatives to Pt-based catalysts to improve the catalytic activity towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). We have synthesized iron-nitrogen-doped mesoporous tungsten carbide catalysts (WC-m-FT) by pyrolysis of well-ordered mesoporous tungsten carbides with iron porphyrin. WC-m-FT exhibits excellent ORR catalytic activity in an alkaline medium, i.e. a high electron-transfer number as well as superior stability and methanol tolerance. The improved activity and stability of WC-m-FT are ascribed to iron-containing catalytic active sites surrounded by nitrogen species and the well-defined mesoporous tungsten carbide structure.

A β-glucosidase from Penicillium italicum was purified with a specific activity of 61.8 U/mg, using a chromatography system. The native form of the enzyme was an 88.5-kDa tetramer with a molecular mass of 354 kDa. Optimum activity was observed at pH 4.5 and 60℃, and the half-lives were 1,737, 330, 34, and 1 hr at 50, 55, 60, and 65℃, respectively. Its activity was inhibited by 47% by 5 mM Ni(2+). The enzyme exhibited hydrolytic activity for p-nitrophenyl-β-D-glucopyranoside (pNP-Glu), p-nitrophenyl-β-D-cellobioside, p-nitrophenyl-β-D-xyloside, and cellobiose, however, no activity was observed for p-nitrophenyl-β-D-lactopyranoside, p-nitrophenyl-β-D-galactopyranoside, carboxymetyl cellulose, xylan, and cellulose, indicating that the enzyme was a β-glucosidase. The k(cat)/K(m) (s(-1) mM(-1)) values for pNP-Glu and cellobiose were 15,770.4 mM and 6,361.4 mM, respectively. These values were the highest reported for β-glucosidases. Non-competitive inhibition of the enzyme by both glucose (K(i) = 8.9 mM) and glucono-δ-lactone (K(i) = 11.3 mM) was observed when pNP-Glu was used as the substrate. This is the first report of non-competitive inhibition of β-glucosidase by glucose and glucono-δ-lactone.

A recombinant putative beta-galactosidase from Thermoplasma acidophilum was purified as a single 57 kDa band of 82 U mg(-1). The molecular mass of the native enzyme was 114 kDa as a dimer. Maximum activity was observed at pH 6.0 and 90 degrees C. The enzyme was unstable below pH 6.0: at pH 6 its half-life at 75 degrees C was 28 days but at pH 4.5 was only 13 h. Catalytic efficiencies decreased as p-nitrophenyl(pNP)-beta-D-fucopyranoside (1067) > pNP-beta-D-glucopyranoside (381) > pNP-beta-D-galactopyranoside (18) > pNP-beta-D-mannopyranoside (11 s(-1) mM(-1)), indicating that the enzyme was a beta-glycosidase.

We report complete reduction reaction of NO into N2 by oxidizing Fe2+ into Fe3+. To regenerate Fe2+ as a NO absorbent from Fe3+, the H2–Fe3+ fuel cell supplied by Fe3+-containing solution at the cathode is utilized producing maximum power density of 110 mW cm−2 at 70 °C.

Factor XI deficiency (also called Hemophilia C) rarely occurs among ethnicities other than Ashkenazi Jews. A boy was scheduled for frontoethmoidectomy due to bilateral chronic rhinosinusitis. He was incidentally found to have factor XI deficiency due to prolonged aPTT on preoperative laboratory finding. His medical history reveals frequent epistaxis 2 or 3 times per day and his factor XI and XII activity were 17% (normal; 60-140%) and 34% (normal; 60-140%), respectively on furthermore laboratory evaluation. He was diagnosed as hereditary factor XI deficiency. He underwent the operation with administration of the fresh frozen plasma without complication.