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GFP-like chromoproteins (CPs) with non-fluorescence ability have been used as bioimaging probes. Existing CPs have voids in the optical absorption window which limits their extensibility. The development of new CP color is therefore ongoing. Here, we cloned CPs from the jellyfish, Olindias formosa, and developed a completely non-fluorescent monomeric red CP, R-Velour, with an absorption peak at 528 nm. To analyze the photophysical properties from a structural aspect, we determined the crystal structure of R-Velour at a 2.1 Å resolution. R-Velour has a trans-chromophore similar to the green fluorescence protein, Gamillus, derived from the same jellyfish. However, in contrast to the two coplanar chromophoric rings in Gamillus, R-Velour has a large torsion inducing non-fluorescence property. Through site-directed mutagenesis, we surveyed residues surrounding the chromophore and found a key residue, Ser155, which contributes to the generation of four-color variants with the bathochromic and hypsochromic shift of the absorption peak, ranging from 506 to 554 nm. The recently proposed spectrum shift theory, based on the Marcus-Hush model, supports the spectrum shift of these mutants. These findings may support further development of R-Velour variants with useful absorption characteristics for bioimaging, including fluorescence lifetime imaging and photoacoustic imaging., (© 2022 The Authors. Protein Science published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Protein Society.)

Background and Aims: Recent guidelines propose higher adenoma detection rate (ADR) benchmarks for colonoscopies performed for positive results for fecal immunochemical tests (FIT), but this is based on low-quality evidence. We aimed to compare ADR, advanced ADR (AADR), and number of adenomas per colonoscopy (APC) in direct screening colonoscopy (DSC) versus FIT-positive colonoscopy (FITC) in a multicenter Asia-Pacific cohort to justify differential targets., Methods: Asymptomatic average-risk patients ≥50 years of age who underwent screening colonoscopy directly or as follow-up for positive OC-Sensor FIT results were identified from 8 sites across the Asia-Pacific region. Overall, sex-specific ADR, overall AADR, and overall APC were compared between the 2 screening methods. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to adjust for confounding by differences in patient characteristics. Linear regression was used to correlate ADR with APC and to propose APC benchmarks., Results: A total of 2901 (mean age, 60.1 years; 57% men) individuals had DSC, and 2485 (mean age, 62.8 years; 57% men) underwent FITC. Overall ADR (53.6% vs 37.5%; odds ratio [OR], 1.93; P < .001), male-specific ADR (61.6% vs 44.6%; OR, 2; P < .001), female-specific ADR (43.2% vs 28.2%; OR, 1.94; P < .001) and overall AADR (29.9% vs 4.9%; OR, 8.2; P < .001) in FITC were significantly higher than the corresponding values for DSC. Differences remained significant after adjustment for patient characteristics. ADR was strongly and positively correlated to APC, with an ADR of 45% and 35% correlating to an APC of ∼1 and ∼0.65., Conclusions: Results from this international multicenter cohort study provide early evidence that newly proposed higher ADR targets are justified as quality indicators for FITC., (Copyright © 2019 American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The incidence of young-onset colorectal cancer (CRC) is reported to be increasing in the Western world. There are no population-based studies assessing the trend across Asia., Methods: We performed a multinational cohort study involving four Asian countries/regions, namely Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong. The magnitude and direction of trend in the incidence of young-onset CRC (age < 50) were quantified using Joinpoint Regression Program to estimate average annual percentage change (AAPC)., Results: In Taiwan (1995-2014), incidence of young-onset CRC significantly increased in both men (colon cancer: 4.9-9.7 per 100,000; rectal cancer: 4.0-8.3 per 100,000) and women (colon cancer: 5.1-9.7 per 100,000; rectal cancer: 3.8-6.4 per 100,000). In Korea (1999-2014), incidence of young-onset CRC significantly increased in both men (colon cancer: 5.0-10.4 per 100,000; rectal cancer: 4.9-14.0 per 100,000) and women (colon cancer: 4.1-9.6 per 100,000; rectal cancer: 4.1-9.1 per 100,000). The most pronounced change was observed with male rectal cancer, increasing by 3.9% per year in Taiwan (AAPC + 3.9, 95% confidence interval + 3.3 to +4.5, P < 0.05) and 6.0% per year in Korea (AAPC +6.0, 95% confidence interval + 4.5 to +7.6, P < 0.05). Only a significant increase in rectal cancer was noted in Japan (male rectal cancer: 7.2-10.1 per 100,000, female rectal cancer 4.7-6.7 per 100,000) and Hong Kong (male rectal cancer: 4.4-7.0 per 100,000)., Conclusions: Increasing trend in young-onset CRC is not limited to the Western world. This finding may have implications on screening program for CRC in these countries/regions.

Few studies have investigated the incidence rate of lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma/Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (LPL/WM) in Asian populations. We assessed the incidence of LPL/WM using data from 13 population-based cancer registries in Japan and data from the Taiwan National Cancer registry. During 1996-2003, a total of 280 new cases of LPL/WM were recorded in Japan and 56 were recorded in Taiwan, with the median age at diagnosis being 73 and 67 years, respectively. The incidence of LPL/WM showed male predominance in both countries. Crude age-specific incidence rates increased sharply with age in both countries, especially in people >65 years. Age-standardized (to the World standard population) incidence rates per 100,000 person-years were 0.043 (0.071 for men and 0.023 for women) and 0.031 (0.041 for men and 0.020 for women) in Japan and Taiwan, respectively. Age-standardized (to the 2,000 US standard population) incidence rates in Japan and Taiwan were lower than rates reported in the literature for Asians living in the United State. A significant increasing trend was observed in the incidence over the period from 1996 to 2003 in Japan alone. This report suggests that both environmental and/or genetic factors may be involved in LPL/WM development., (© 2013 UICC.)