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Patient respiration is characterized by respiratory parameters, such as cycle, amplitude, and baseline drift. In treatment planning using four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) images, the target dose may be affected by variations in image reconstruction techniques and respiratory parameters. This study aimed to optimize 4DCT image reconstruction techniques for the treatment planning of lung stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) based on respiratory parameters using respiratory motion phantom. We quantified respiratory parameters using 30 respiratory motion datasets. The 4DCT images were acquired, and the phase- and amplitude-based reconstruction images (RI) were created. The target dose was calculated based on these reconstructed images. Statistical analysis was performed using Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) to determine the relationship between respiratory parameters and target dose in each reconstructed technique and respiratory region. In the inhalation region of phase-based RI, r of the target dose and baseline drift was -0.52. In particular, the target dose was significantly reduced for respiratory parameters with a baseline drift of 0.8 mm/s and above. No other respiratory parameters or respiratory regions were significantly correlated with target dose in phase-based RI. In amplitude-based RI, there were no significant differences in the correlation between all respiratory parameters and target dose in the exhalation or inhalation regions. These results showed that the target dose of the amplitude-based RI did not depend on changes in respiratory parameters or respiratory regions, compared to the phase-based RI. However, it is possible to guarantee the target dose by considering respiratory parameters during the inhalation region of the phase-based RI., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Japanese Society of Radiological Technology and Japan Society of Medical Physics.)

Background: We devised a method that combines the 3D-Dixon-gradientecho (GRE) method with an improved motion-sensitized driven-equilibrium (iMSDE) to suppress blood flow signals., Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the new method we developed plaque imaging method (3D-Dixon-GRE with the iMSDE method)., Study Type: Retrospective cohort., Population: Thirty-nine patients who underwent cervical plaque imaging., Field Strength/sequence: 3.0 T/3D-GRE., Assessment: Signal intensities of the common carotid artery, aorta, plaque, muscle, and subcutaneous fat were measured through the VISTA and the 3D-Dixon-GRE with iMSDE methods, and each contrast was calculated., Statistical Test: Used the Mann Whitney U test. P-values below 0.05 were considered statistically significant., Results: Plaque and muscle contrast estimated through the VISTA method and 3D-Dixon-GRE with iMSDE method was 1.60 ± 0.96 and 2.04 ± 1.06, respectively, (P < 0.05). The contrast between the flow (common carotid artery and Aorta) and muscle according to the VISTA method and 3D-Dixon-GRE with iMSDE method was 0.24 ± 0.11 and 0.40 ± 0.12, respectively (P < 0.001). Finally, the mean contrast for subcutaneous fat and muscle at six locations was 3.05 ± 1.25 and 0.81 ± 0.23 for the VISTA method and 3D-Dixon-GRE with the iMSDE method, respectively (P < 0.001)., Data Conclusion: Compared to the conventional method (VISTA), the 3D-Dixon-GRE with iMSDE method is preferable in relation to the fat suppression effect, but it is disadvantageous regarding blood flow signal suppression. Therefore, the 3D-Dixon-GRE with the iMSDE method could be considered useful for plaque imaging., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest No conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Pv11 is the only animal cell line that, when preconditioned with a high concentration of trehalose, can be preserved in the dry state at room temperature for more than one year while retaining the ability to resume proliferation. This extreme desiccation tolerance is referred to as anhydrobiosis. Here, we identified a transporter that contributes to the recovery of Pv11 cells from anhydrobiosis. In general, the solute carrier 5 (SLC5)-type secondary active transporters cotransport Na + and carbohydrates including glucose. The heterologous expression systems showed that the transporter belonging to the SLC5 family, whose expression increases upon rehydration, exhibits Na + -dependent trehalose transport activity. Therefore, we named it STRT1 (sodium-ion trehalose transporter 1). We report an SLC5 family member that transports a naturally occurring disaccharide, such as trehalose. Knockout of the Strt1 gene significantly reduced the viability of Pv11 cells upon rehydration after desiccation. During rehydration, when intracellular trehalose is no longer needed, Strt1 -knockout cells released the disaccharide more slowly than the parental cell line. During rehydration, Pv11 cells became roughly spherical due to osmotic pressure changes, but then returned to their original spindle shape after about 30 min. Strt1 -knockout cells, however, required about 50 min to adopt their normal morphology. STRT1 probably regulates intracellular osmolality by releasing unwanted intracellular trehalose with Na + , thereby facilitating the recovery of normal cell morphology during rehydration. STRT1 likely improves the viability of dried Pv11 cells by rapidly alleviating the significant physical stresses that arise during rehydration., Competing Interests: Competing interests statement:The authors declare no competing interest.

In magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), it is necessary to reduce image distortion as much as possible because it suppresses the increase in the planning target volume. This study investigated the relationship between imaging parameters and image distortion when using G-frames. The images were obtained using a 1.5-T MRI system with a 09-101 Pro-MRI phantom. Image distortion was measured by changing the RF pulse mode, gradient mode, asymmetric echo, and bandwidth (BW). The image distortion was increased in the high RF mode than in the Normal mode. The image distortion increased in the following order: Whisper ≦ Normal < Fast in the different gradient modes. The image distortion increased in the following order: Without ≦ Weak < Strong in the different asymmetric echo modes. The image distortion increased in the following order: 300 Hz/pixel > 670 Hz/pixel ≧ REF (150 Hz/pixel) in the different Bw. The relationship between parameters and image distortion was clarified in this study when G-frames were used for gamma knife therapy. There is had relationship between the parameters causing variation in the gradient magnetic field and image distortion. Therefore, these parameters should be adjusted to minimize distortion., (© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.)

Programmable liquid handling devices for cell culture systems have dramatically enhanced scalability and reproducibility. We previously reported a protocol to produce cell aggregates demonstrating growth plate-like structures containing hypertrophic chondrocytes from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). To apply this protocol to large-scale drug screening for growth plate-related diseases, we adapted it to the automated cell culture system (ACCS) consisting of programmable liquid handling devices connected to CO 2 incubators, a refrigerator, and labware feeders, designed for up to 4 batches with several cell culture plates culturing for several months. We developed a new program preparing culture media with growth factors at final concentration immediately before dispensing them to each well and precisely positioning the tip for the medium change without damaging cell aggregates. Using these programs on the ACCS, we successfully cultured cell aggregates for 56 days, only needing to replenish the labware, medium, and growth factors twice a week. The size of cell aggregates in each well increased over time, with low well-to-well variability. Cell aggregates on day 56 showed histochemical, immunohistochemical, and gene expression properties of growth plate-like structures containing hypertrophic chondrocytes, indicating proper quality as materials for basic research and drug discovery of growth plate related diseases. The established program will be a suitable reference for making programs of experiments requiring long term and complex culture procedures using ACCS., 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. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Pv11 was derived from embryos of the sleeping chironomid Polypedilum vanderplanki , which displays an extreme form of desiccation tolerance known as anhydrobiosis. Pre-treatment with a high concentration of trehalose allows Pv11 cells to enter anhydrobiosis. In the dry state, Pv11 cells preserve transgenic luciferase while retaining its activity. Thus, these cells could be utilized for dry-preserving antibodies, enzymes, signaling proteins or other valuable biological materials without denaturation. However, Pv11 cells grow in suspension, which limits their applicability; for instance, they cannot be integrated into microfluidic devices or used in devices such as sensor chips. Therefore, in this paper, we developed an effective immobilization system for Pv11 cells that, crucially, allows them to maintain their anhydrobiotic potential even when immobilized. Pv11 cells exhibited a very high adhesion rate with both biocompatible anchor for membrane (BAM) and Cell-Tak coatings, which have been reported to be effective on other cultured cells. We also found that Pv11 cells immobilized well to uncoated glass if handled in serum-free medium. Interestingly, Pv11 cells showed desiccation tolerance when trehalose treatment was done prior to immobilization of the cells. In contrast, trehalose treatment after immobilization of Pv11 cells resulted in a significant decrease in desiccation tolerance. Thus, it is important to induce anhydrobiosis before immobilization. In summary, we report the successful development of a protocol for the dry preservation of immobilized Pv11 cells., Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10616-023-00592-0., Competing Interests: Competing interestsThe authors declare no competing interest., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2023. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Despite the dedicated research of artificial intelligence (AI) for pathological images, the construction of AI applicable to histopathological tissue subtypes, is limited by insufficient dataset collection owing to disease infrequency. Here, we present a solution involving the addition of supplemental tissue array (TA) images that are adjusted to the tonality of the main data using a cycle-consistent generative adversarial network (CycleGAN) to the training data for rare tissue types. F1 scores of rare tissue types that constitute < 1.2% of the training data were significantly increased by improving recall values after adding color-adjusted TA images constituting < 0.65% of total training patches. The detector also enabled the equivalent discrimination of clinical images from two distinct hospitals and the capability was more increased following color-correction of test data before AI identification (F1 score from 45.2 ± 27.1 to 77.1 ± 10.3, p < 0.01). These methods also classified intraoperative frozen sections, while excessive supplementation paradoxically decreased F1 scores. These results identify strategies for building an AI that preserves the imbalance between training data with large differences in actual disease frequencies, which is important for constructing AI for practical histopathological classification., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

This study aimed to investigate the effect of using slice partial Fourier (SPF), phase partial Fourier (PPF), and radial scan (Elliptical scanning) methods on image quality. Changes in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), effective slice thickness, and in-plane resolution were measured in 3D-gradient echo when SPF, PPF, and radial scan were used. Effective slice thickness increased and SNR increased when SPF was used; in-plane resolution decreased and SNR decreased when PPF was used; effective slice thickness did not change, in-plane resolution decreased, and SNR increased when the radial scan method was used. The radial scan method reduces image quality and imaging time compared to those in the SPF and PPF methods., 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 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Due to their physiological relevance, cell-based assays using human-induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cells are a promising in vitro pharmacological evaluation system for drug candidates. However, cell-based assays involve complex processes such as long-term culture, real-time and continuous observation of living cells, and detection of many cellular events. Automating multi-sample processing through these assays will enhance reproducibility by limiting human error and reduce researchers' valuable time spent conducting these experiments. Furthermore, this integration enables continuous tracking of morphological changes, which is not possible with the use of stand-alone devices. This report describes a new laboratory automation system called the Screening Station, which uses novel automation control and scheduling software called Green Button Go to integrate various devices. To integrate the above-mentioned processes, we established three workflows in Green Button Go: 1) For long-term cell culture, culture plates and medium containers are transported from the automatic CO 2 incubator and cool incubator, respectively, and the cell culture medium in the microplates is exchanged daily using the Biomek i7 workstation; 2) For time-lapse live-cell imaging, culture plates are automatically transferred between the CQ1 confocal quantitative image cytometer and the SCALE48W automatic CO 2 incubator; 3) For immunofluorescence imaging assays, in addition to the above-mentioned devices, the 405LS microplate washer allows for formalin-fixation and immunostaining of cells. By scheduling various combinations of the three workflows, we successfully automated the culture and medium exchange processes for iPSCs derived from patients with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, confirmation of their differentiation status by live-cell imaging, and confirmation of the presence of differentiation markers by immunostaining. In addition, deep learning analysis enabled us to quantify the degree of iPSC differentiation from live-cell imaging data. Further, the results of the fully automated experiments could be accessed via the intranet, enabling experiments and analysis to be conducted remotely once the necessary reagents and labware were prepared. We expect that the ability to perform clinically and physiologically relevant cell-based assays from remote locations using the Screening Station will facilitate global research collaboration and accelerate the discovery of new drug candidates., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interests 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 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To validate the point-A dose and dose distribution of metal and resin applicators in comparison with those of TG-43U1., Methods: The metal and resin applicators consisting of tandem and ovoid were modeled by the egs&#95;brachy. The doses to point A and dose distributions considering each applicator were calculated and compared to those of TG-43U1., Results: The dose to point A considering the metal applicator was 3.2% lower than that of TG-43U1, but there was no difference in the dose to point A considering the resin applicator. The dose distribution considering the metal applicator was lower than that of TG-43U1 at all calculation points, but there was no difference in the dose distribution considering the resin applicator at almost all calculation points., Conclusion: In this study, the dose distribution considering the metal applicator was lower than that of TG-43U1 at all calculation points, but there was no difference in the dose distribution considering the resin applicator at almost all calculation points. Therefore, TG-43U1 can accurately calculate the dose distribution when changing from the metal applicator to the resin applicator.

The aim of this study is to examine stone-event-free survival after ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URSL) and risk factors for stone events by age. We retrospectively collected data of all URSL cases at our institution from 2008 to 2021. A total of 1334 cases were included and divided into young (< 65 years, 792 cases), young-old (65-74 years, 316 cases), old-old (75-84 years, 172 cases), and oldest-old (≥ 85 years, 54 cases) groups. Patient characteristics, surgical outcomes, and postoperative stone events were evaluated. The stone-event-free survival and risk factors were compared between young and older groups. Overall, 214 (16.0%) cases developed stone events during a mean follow-up period of 763 days and the 2-year, 5-year, and 8-year stone-event-free survival rates were 84.5%, 72.2%, and 57.2%, respectively. The numbers of stone events in young, young-old, old-old, oldest-old groups were 133 (16.8%), 53 (16.8%), 21 (12.2%), and 7 (13.0%), respectively. No significant differences were found in stone-event-free survival between the young group and each of the older groups. Residual fragment > 4 mm and stone burden ≥ 15 mm were common risk factors in both young and older groups. Especially in older patients, preoperative stenting, which was most often performed to treat obstructive pyelonephritis, was the third risk factor. In conclusion, stone-event-free survival after URSL was comparable between young and older patients. Residual fragment > 4 mm and stone burden ≥ 15 mm were common risk factors in both groups. Preoperative stenting was an additional risk factor in older patients, suggesting that urinary tract infection may influence stone events., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

To deal with the broad spectrum of coronaviruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), that threaten human health, it is essential to not only drugs develop that target viral proteins but also consider drugs that target host proteins/cellular processes to protect them from being hijacked for viral infection and replication. To this end, it has been reported that autophagy is deeply involved in coronavirus infection. In this study, we used airway organoids to screen a chemical library of autophagic modulators to identify compounds that could potentially be used to fight against infections by a broad range of coronaviruses. Among the 80 autophagy-related compounds tested, cycloheximide and thapsigargin reduced SARS-CoV-2 infection efficiency in a dose-dependent manner. Cycloheximide treatment reduced the infection efficiency of not only six SARS-CoV-2 variants but also human coronavirus (HCoV)-229E and HCoV-OC43. Cycloheximide treatment also reversed viral infection-induced innate immune responses. However, even low-dose (1 μM) cycloheximide treatment altered the expression profile of ribosomal RNAs; thus, side effects such as inhibition of protein synthesis in host cells must be considered. These results suggest that cycloheximide has broad-spectrum anti-coronavirus activity in vitro and warrants further investigation.

In this study, we developed a mouthpiece-type gel dosimeter to prevent the oral mucositis caused by the perturbation effect of dental alloys in the radiotherapy of the head and neck regions and to enable in vivo dosimetry. Understanding the dose distribution in the oral cavity during radiotherapy helps identify the possible site for oral mucositis during treatment. Here agarose, which has a higher melting point than gelatin, was added as a coagulant to stabilize the shape of the dosimeter. The strength and dose response of the dosimeter were investigated. The strength was measured at room temperature, 20°C-40 °C, which is higher than the intraoral temperature. The dose-response curves were obtained by magnetic resonance imaging with R 2 ranging from 0 to 25 Gy. The strength and dose response of the mouthpiece-type gel dosimeter were approximately 4 and 2.1 times higher than those of polyacrylamide gel and tetrakis hydroxymethyl phosphonium chloride dosimeters commonly used in the prescribed doses per fraction of treatment. The dosimeter is composed of 4 wt% MgCl 2 and 1.5 wt% agarose; thus, it can retain the water equivalence. Through in vivo oral dosimetry in three dimensions for head and neck radiotherapy with dental alloys using the mouthpiece-type gel dosimeter, we obtained three-dimensional dose distributions in the dosimeter. The properties of the dosimeter show that it can be used in the clinic, depending on the prescribed dose., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the failure rates of insertion of a 10/12-Fr ureteral access sheath (UAS) during retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) in cases with and without stones and to analyze the risk factors for UAS insertion failure., Materials and Methods: A total of 640 RIRS cases (538 with and 102 without stones) were evaluated. The primary outcome of interest was the failure rate of insertion of a 10/12-Fr UAS. Associated risk factors were assessed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Propensity score (PS) matching and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) were used to ensure the robustness of the results., Results: The overall failure rate of 10/12-Fr UAS insertion in the cases without stones was significantly higher than that in the cases with stones (39.2% vs. 7.2%; p<0.001), and was approximately 2.5 to 4 times higher after PS matching and IPTW. Multivariate logistic analyses showed that being in the group without stones and younger age were independent significant risk factors for insertion failure in both the PS-matched cohort (odds ratio [OR], 5.43; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.16-13.6; and OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.01-1.07) and the IPTW-adjusted cohort (OR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.14-2.90; and OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01-1.04)., Conclusions: The incidence of 10/12-Fr UAS insertion failure during RIRS was higher in cases without stones than in those with stones. These results provide valuable information for surgeons to use during informed consent discussions with patients undergoing RIRS, especially patients without stones., Competing Interests: The authors have nothing to disclose., (© The Korean Urological Association.)

This paper proposes a new concept of phantom development, along with the utilization of new materials that can reproduce lung morphology and density. A lung substitute phantom using microspheres was fabricated; then, its dosimetric utility in radiotherapy was investigated, during which the density was adjusted to closely resemble the morphology of the actual human lung. Microspheres were used to reproduce alveoli, which are the main components of the lung. By changing the ratio of urethane, which is commonly used in soft tissue phantoms, to microspheres, we reproduced the density change of the lungs due to respiration. Here, we fabricated two slab-like lung substitutes to emulate commercially used phantoms. Although there is room for improvement in terms of practicality, the substitutes were easy to fabricate. Microscopic observation of the cut surface of the phantoms showed that the morphology of the phantoms mimicked the alveoli more faithfully than commercial phantoms. Furthermore, to compensate for the energy-independent mass attenuation and mass collision inhibition ability required by the tissue substitute phantom, we examined the physical properties of the phantom and confirmed that there was negligible energy dependence.

Objective: Difficult ureter can be a challenge for accessing upper urinary tract during lithotripsy. In this study, we evaluated the risk factors for the incidence of difficult ureter in retrograde ureteroscopic lithotripsy. Moreover, we aimed to develop a predictive model for the incidence of difficult ureter., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed consecutive retrograde ureteroscopic lithotripsies performed at our institution between 2009 and 2021. A total of 1010 renal units were evaluated: 449 units with renal stones only and 561 units with ureteral stones, with or without renal stones., Results: The overall incidence of difficult ureter was 5.9%, with a higher incidence in the renal alone stone group than in the ureteral stone group (7.8% vs 4.5%, P = 0.026). Multivariate regression analysis revealed three risk factors for the incidence of difficult ureter: absence of stone history (odds ratio 5.67, 95% confidence interval 2.40-13.4, and P < 0.001), age ≤45 years (odds ratio 3.61, 95% confidence interval 2.05-6.37, and P < 0.001), and renal stone only (odds ratio 2.11, 95% confidence interval 1.22-3.64, and P = 0.008). A simple model using these three risks enabled the stratification of the incidence rate of difficult ureter, with the incidence of high-risk cases being 12.7%., Conclusions: The greatest risk factor for the incidence of difficult ureter was the absence of stone history, followed by age 45 years or younger, and having only renal stones. In high-risk cases of difficult ureter, the possibility of secondary lithotripsy should be explained to the patients., (© 2022 The Japanese Urological Association.)

Purpose: The incident electron energy spectrum was determined by an estimation formula based on the Lévy distribution in order to calculate the PDD and OAR that is consistent with the measurement., Methods: EGSnrc was used to calculate PDD and OAR at nominal energies of 4, 6, 9, 12, and 15 MeV. The parameters for determining the incident electron energy spectrum were adjusted to be a reasonable value in the error between the measured and the calculated values., Results: Location and scaling parameters were determined to be 0.5 and 0.001, respectively. The calculated PDD based on the determination formula was in agreement with the measurement within 2 mm/2% at all depths. The OAR also was in agreement with the measurement within 2 mm/2%., Conclusion: In this study, the incident electron energy spectrum was estimated by determining the location and scaling parameters. This method is simpler and more accurate than previously reported, and can be applied to the calculation of dose distributions in Monte Carlo simulations.

We developed organocatalyst systems to promote the cleavage of stable C-H bonds, such as formyl, α-hydroxy, and benzylic C-H bonds, through a hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) process without the use of exogenous photosensitizers. An electronically tuned thiophosphoric acid, 7,7'-OMe-TPA, was assembled with substrate or co-catalyst N -heteroaromatics through hydrogen bonding and π-π interactions to form electron donor-acceptor (EDA) complexes. Photoirradiation of the EDA complex induced stepwise, sequential single-electron transfer (SET) processes to generate a HAT-active thiyl radical. The first SET was from the electron-rich naphthyl group of 7,7'-OMe-TPA to the protonated N -heteroaromatics and the second proton-coupled SET (PCET) from the thiophosphoric acid moiety of 7,7'-OMe-TPA to the resulting naphthyl radical cation. Spectroscopic studies and theoretical calculations characterized the stepwise SET process mediated by short-lived intermediates. This organocatalytic HAT system was applied to four different carbon-hydrogen (C-H) functionalization reactions, hydroxyalkylation and alkylation of N -heteroaromatics, acceptorless dehydrogenation of alcohols, and benzylation of imines, with high functional group tolerance.

Real-time tumor tracking radiotherapy (RTRT) systems typically use fiducial markers implanted near the tumor to track the target using X-ray fluoroscopy. Template pattern matching, used in tracking, is often used to automatically localize the fiducial markers. In radiotherapy of the liver, the thickness of the body that can recognize the fiducial markers must be clinically assessed. The purpose of this study was to quantify the recognition of fiducial markers according to body thickness in stereotactic body radiotherapy of the liver using clinical images obtained using SyncTraX FX4. The recognition scores of fiducial markers were examined in relation to water equivalent length (WEL), tube current, and each flat panel detector. The relationship between the contrast ratio of the fiducial marker and the background and the WEL was also investigated. The average recognition score was found to be less than 20 when the WEL was greater than 25 cm. The probability of successful tracking of image recognition was mostly smaller than 0.8 when the WEL was over 30 cm. The relationship between WEL and tube current did not significantly differ between 100 and 140 mA, but there was a significant difference (p < 0.05) for all other combinations. To ensure tracking of fiducial markers during SBRT, if the WEL representing body thickness is longer than 25 cm, the X-ray fluoroscopy arrangement should be determined based on the WEL., (© 2021. Japan Radiological Society.)

Genomic safe harbors (GSHs) provide ideal integration sites for generating transgenic organisms and cells and can be of great benefit in advancing the basic and applied biology of a particular species. Here we report the identification of GSHs in a dry-preservable insect cell line, Pv11, which derives from the sleeping chironomid, Polypedilum vanderplanki , and similar to the larvae of its progenitor species exhibits extreme desiccation tolerance. To identify GSHs, we carried out genome analysis of transgenic cell lines established by random integration of exogenous genes and found four candidate loci. Targeted knock-in was performed into these sites and the phenotypes of the resulting transgenic cell lines were examined. Precise integration was achieved for three candidate GSHs, and in all three cases integration did not alter the anhydrobiotic ability or the proliferation rate of the cell lines. We therefore suggest these genomic loci represent GSHs in Pv11 cells. Indeed, we successfully constructed a knock-in system and introduced an expression unit into one of these GSHs. We therefore identified several GSHs in Pv11 cells and developed a new technique for producing transgenic Pv11 cells without affecting the phenotype.

Purpose: Shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) is used to treat upper urinary tract stones. Recently, some volume analyzers have enabled preoperative assessment using three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT). We evaluated the efficacy of 3D-CT variables for predicting the outcomes of SWL., Methods: The study population included 193 patients who underwent SWL between November 2014 and August 2020. In addition to conventional two-dimensional computed tomography (2D-CT) assessments, 3D-CT assessments of targeted stones were retrospectively performed, and stone size and stone density (SD) were measured. The successful and unsuccessful treatment groups were compared and risk factors for an unsuccessful first SWL session were investigated. The predictive accuracy of variables measured on 3D-CT was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curves and multivariate analyses., Results: The success rate of the first SWL session was 73.1%. Stone volume, mean SD and highest SD on 3D-CT were significantly higher in the unsuccessful group than in the successful group. Stone volume showed a higher area under the curve (AUC) than the estimated volumetric stone burden and stone diameter, which were measured on 2D-CT (0.729, 0.683, and 0.672, respectively). The AUCs of the mean SD and highest SD on 3D-CT were higher than those on 2D-CT (0.699, 0.680, 0.617, and 0.627, respectively). Multivariate analyses identified stone volume (≥ 0.29 ml), mean SD on 3D-CT (≥ 421 HU), and absence of hydronephrosis as independent predictive factors for unsuccessful SWL., Conclusion: 3D-CT variables were promising predictors of the outcomes of SWL. Preoperative 3D-CT assessment is helpful for selecting favorable patients for SWL., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

This study aimed to quantitatively clarify the baseline drift for each respiratory cycle in two respiratory-gating methods using the intra-beam respiratory motion data of lung cancer patients. The residual motion and dose distribution were calculated based on intra-beam respiratory motion data with the baseline drift. To quantify the baseline drift $\Delta$ during irradiation, it was defined as the inclination between the detected expiration point and the expiration point in the next cycle in the anterior-posterior (AP), cranial-caudal (CC) and left-right (LR) directions obtained using an in-house programme. The baseline drift value reached up to 0.74 mm/s in the CC direction as per the respiratory motion data of 10 patients. The homogeneity index (HI) of the phase-gating method tended to increase because the target was irradiated even when the amplitude position of the target differed from period to period. In contrast, the amplitude-gating method enabled irradiation considering the amplitude position of the target because the gating window was set considering the amplitude position of the respiratory motion. The respiratory-gating methods and respiratory phase in respiratory-gating lung stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) must be determined based on the respiratory motion of the patients., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Japanese Radiation Research Society and Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology.)

Pv11 is an insect cell line established from the midge Polypedilum vanderplanki, whose larval form exhibits an extreme desiccation tolerance known as anhydrobiosis. Pv11 itself is also capable of anhydrobiosis, which is induced by trehalose treatment. Here we report the successful construction of a genome editing system for Pv11 cells and its application to the identification of signaling pathways involved in anhydrobiosis. Using the Cas9-mediated gene knock-in system, we established Pv11 cells that stably expressed GCaMP3 to monitor intracellular Ca 2+ mobilization. Intriguingly, trehalose treatment evoked a transient increase in cytosolic Ca 2+ concentration, and further experiments revealed that the calmodulin-calcineurin-NFAT pathway contributes to tolerance of trehalose treatment as well as desiccation tolerance, while the calmodulin-calmodulin kinase-CREB pathway conferred only desiccation tolerance on Pv11 cells. Thus, our results show a critical contribution of the trehalose-induced Ca 2+ surge to anhydrobiosis and demonstrate temporally different roles for each signaling pathway., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are attractive for use in early drug discovery because they can differentiate into any cell type. Maintenance cultures and differentiation processes for iPSCs, however, require a high level of technical expertise. To overcome this problem, technological developments such as enhanced automation are necessary to replace manual operation. In addition, a robot system with the flexibility and expandability to carry out maintenance culture and each of the required differentiation processes would also be important. In this study, we established a platform to enable the multiple processes required for iPSC experiments using the Maholo LabDroid, which is a humanoid robotic system with excellent reproducibility and flexibility. The accuracy and robustness of Maholo LabDroid enabled us to cultivate undifferentiated iPSCs for 63 days while maintaining their ability to differentiate into the three embryonic germ layers. Maholo LabDroid maintained and harvested iPSCs in six-well plates, then seeded them into 96-well plates, induced differentiation, and implemented immunocytochemistry. As a result, Maholo LabDroid was confirmed to be able to perform the processes required for myogenic differentiation of iPSCs isolated from a patient with muscular disease and achieved a high differentiation rate with a coefficient of variation (CV) <10% in the first trial. Furthermore, the expandability and flexibility of Maholo LabDroid allowed us to experiment with multiple cell lines simultaneously.

Fluidity tests of pure aluminum 1070 and Al-Si alloys with Si contents of up to 25% were conducted using a die cast machine equipped with a spiral die. The effects of the channel gap, die temperature, and injection speed on the fluidity were investigated. When the channel gap was small (0.5 mm), the flow length of the 1070 was minimized, and the fluidity increased monotonically at a gradual rate with increasing Si content. In contrast, larger gaps yielded convex fluidity-Si content curves. Additionally, heating the die had less of an influence on the fluidity of the 1070 than on that of the Al-Si alloy. These results are discussed in the context of the peeling of the solidification layer from the die based on the thicknesses of foils and strips cast by melt spinning and roll casting, respectively. At lower Si contents, heat shrinkage was greater and the latent heat was lower. When the heat shrinkage was greater, the solidification layer began to peel earlier, and the heat transfer between the solidification layer and the die became smaller. As a result, the fluidity of the 1070 was greatest when the channel gap was 0.8 mm.

Temperature corrections are necessary to account for the varying mass of air in the cavity volume of a vented ionization chamber. The temporal response resulting from temperature changes in a cylindrical and/or Farmer-type ionization chamber, which is the standard dosimeter, has been thoroughly discussed by some researchers. The purpose of this study was to characterise and analyse the dependence of the cavity air temperature of the parallel-plate-type ionization chamber on changes in the ambient temperature. Ionization chambers NACP-02 (IBA Dosimetry, GmbH) and Advanced Markus TN34045 (PTW, Freiburg) were modelled using thermal analysis software to present the temperature equilibrium time and the entire ionization chamber temperature distribution. The temporal response of each ionization chamber was measured for comparing the calculation results of the thermal analysis. The ionization chamber cavities of NACP-02 and TN34045 reached complete equilibrium in 670 and 750 s, respectively. Heat transfer occurred faster at the centre of the front wall of TN34045 than at the outside of the centre except for the edges. Further, the non-uniformity of temperature in the cavity was in the range of 24.2-24.8°C for NACP-02 and 23.7-24.4°C for TN34045 at 200 s after the ionization chamber was installed in the water phantom. The previous proposal to wait for about 15 mins after submerging the chamber in a water phantom before the measurement is demonstrated to be appropriate for parallel-plate-type ionization chambers., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Japanese Radiation Research Society and Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology.)

Hydroxyalkylation of N -heteroaromatics with aldehydes was achieved using a binary hybrid catalyst system comprising an acridinium photoredox catalyst and a thiophosphoric acid organocatalyst. The reaction proceeded through the following sequence: (1) photoredox-catalyzed single-electron oxidation of a thiophosphoric acid catalyst to generate a thiyl radical, (2) cleavage of the formyl C-H bond of the aldehyde substrates by a thiyl radical acting as a hydrogen atom transfer catalyst to generate acyl radicals, (3) Minisci-type addition of the resulting acyl radicals to N -heteroaromatics, and (4) a spin-center shift, photoredox-catalyzed single-electron reduction, and protonation to produce secondary alcohol products. This metal-free hybrid catalysis proceeded under mild conditions for a wide range of substrates, including isoquinolines, quinolines, and pyridines as N -heteroaromatics, as well as both aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes, and tolerated various functional groups. The reaction was applicable to late-stage derivatization of drugs and their leads., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

In this study, we propose a methodology for temperature determination of the temperature and pressure correction factor, PTP, by analyzing the temperature distribution of the modeled ionization chamber taking into account the thermal effect of a water phantom on neighboring materials in the process. Additionally, we present an appropriate temperature-equilibrium time for conducting measurements. The temporal response in the cavity is acquired at 20-s intervals using a Farmer ionization chamber and an electrometer. The initial temperature of the water phantom is 20-25°C with continuous heating/cooling. The temporal response is measured until temperature equilibrium is confirmed, specifically when a temperature difference of 1-5°C is observed between the ionization chamber and the water phantom. Using an ionization-chamber model, temperature distribution is simulated between 20 and 25°C with various parameters set to receive heating and cooling from surrounding media. The results suggest that the temporal response of the ionization chamber essentially coincides with the temperature change at the tip and middle; moreover, the predicted temperature change for temporal response and the simulated temperature of water are different by ~0.16°C at the tip and ~0.79°C at the bottom. Overall, the temperature-equilibration time for absorbed dosimetry is affected by two factors: the cavity wall and the stem side of the cavity; moreover, 400 s is required to obtain complete temperature equilibrium in the water phantom. This analytical study supports the experimental value obtained in previous research. Therefore, analytical representation of the temperature distribution in the ionization chamber is possible., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Japanese Radiation Research Society and Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology.)

We developed the first acceptorless dehydrogenation of aliphatic secondary alcohols to ketones under visible light irradiation at room temperature by devising a ternary hybrid catalyst system comprising a photoredox catalyst, a thiophosphate organocatalyst, and a nickel catalyst. The reaction proceeded through three main steps: hydrogen atom transfer from the α-C-H bond of an alcohol substrate to the thiyl radical of the photo-oxidized organocatalyst, interception of the generated carbon-centered radical with a nickel catalyst, and β-hydride elimination. The reaction proceeded in high yield under mild conditions without producing side products (except H 2 gas) from various alcohols, including sterically hindered alcohols, a steroid, and a pharmaceutical derivative. This catalyst system also promoted acceptorless cross-dehydrogenative esterification from aldehydes and alcohols through hemiacetal intermediates.

Dysferlinopathy is a progressive muscle disorder that includes limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2B and Miyoshi myopathy (MM). It is caused by mutations in the dysferlin (DYSF) gene, whose function is to reseal the muscular membrane. Treatment with proteasome inhibitor MG-132 has been shown to increase misfolded dysferlin in fibroblasts, allowing them to recover their membrane resealing function. Here, we developed a screening system based on myocytes from MM patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells. According to the screening, nocodazole was found to effectively increase the level of dysferlin in cells, which, in turn, enhanced membrane resealing following injury by laser irradiation. Moreover, the increase was due to microtubule disorganization and involved autophagy rather than the proteasome degradation pathway. These findings suggest that increasing the amount of misfolded dysferlin using small molecules could represent an effective future clinical treatment for dysferlinopathy. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2019;8:1017-1029., (© 2019 The Authors. Stem Cells Translational Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of AlphaMed Press.)

Herein, we investigate the use of agar and gelatin in a polymer gel dosimeter. The polymer gel is enclosed in a vinyl film to obtain a dosimeter of arbitrary shape and maintain the shape at room temperature. The resulting polymer gel dosimeter could preserve its shape across a wide temperature range. Excluding the surface region, the obtained dose distribution was within 3% of that determined in an ionization chamber., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The Gram-negative marine propylene-assimilating bacterium, strain PE-TB08W, was isolated from surface seawater. A structural gene analysis using the 16S rRNA gene showed 96, 94, and 95% similarities to Halioglobus species, Haliea sp. ETY-M, and Haliea sp. ETY-NAG, respectively. A phylogenetic tree analysis showed that strain PE-TB08W belonged to the EG19 (Chromatocurvus)-Congregibacter-Haliea cluster within the Halieaceae (formerly Alteromonadaceae) family. Thus, strain PE-TB08W was characterized as a newly isolated Halieaceae bacterium; we suggest that this strain belongs to a new genus. Other bacterial characteristics were investigated and revealed that strain PE-TB08W assimilated propylene, n-butane, 1-butene, propanol, and 1-butanol (C3 and C4 gaseous hydrocarbons and primary alcohols), but not various other alcohols, including methane, ethane, ethylene, propane, and i-butane. The putative alkene monooxygenase (amo) gene in this strain was a soluble methane monooxygenase-type (sMMO) gene that is ubiquitous in alkene-assimilating bacteria for the initial oxidation of alkenes. In addition, two epoxide carboxylase systems containing epoxyalkane, the co-enzyme M transferase (EaCoMT) gene, and the co-enzyme M biosynthesis gene, were found in the upstream region of the sMMO gene cluster. Both of these genes were similar to those in Xanthobacter autotrophicus Py2 and were inductively expressed by propylene. These results have a significant impact on the genetic relationship between terrestrial and marine alkene-assimilating bacteria.

Standard therapy for gastric diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is considered to be chemotherapy with or without involved-field radiation therapy. Although R-CHOP therapy alone is widely used for DLBCL with gastric lesions (DLBCL-GL), the outcome and incidence of treatment-related gastric complications following R-CHOP are not well known. This study aimed to evaluate the outcome after R-CHOP therapy in patients with gastric DLBCL including gastric complications and to identify risk factors for the complications. Consecutive patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL-GL treated with R-CHOP between 2003 and 2014 were retrospectively evaluated. DLBCL-GL was defined only when pathologically confirmed in the stomach. Of the 96 patients with DLBCL-GL, 63 patients were diagnosed with gastric symptoms. Eighty-eight patients (92%) completed six to eight cycles of R-CHOP. The complete remission (CR) rate was 86%, and 3-year and 5-year overall survival rates were 80% and 73%, respectively. Patients were well stratified according to the Revised International Prognostic Index (R-IPI). Complication rate was 8% (8/96); seven patients had bleeding and three had stenosis. No patients had gastric perforation. Bleeding occurred during the first cycle of R-CHOP in five patients (5/7, 71%). Patients with gastric complications had a lower R-CHOP completion rate (50%, P = 0.001) and a lower CR rate (25%, P < 0.001) than those without complications. A low serum albumin level at diagnosis was the only risk factor identified for gastric complications (P = 0.001) and six of the eight patients with complications were shown to be at stage IV. Further studies of DLBCL-GL are warranted to identify patients at high risk for gastric complications and to provide better treatment strategies., (© 2019 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Submicrometre spherical particles made of Au and Fe can be fabricated by pulsed-laser melting in liquid (PLML) using a mixture of Au and iron oxide nanoparticles as the raw particles dispersed in ethanol, although the detailed formation mechanism has not yet been clarified. Using a 355 nm pulsed laser to avoid extreme temperature difference between two different raw particles during laser irradiation and an Fe₂O₃ raw nanoparticle colloidal solution as an iron source to promote the aggregation of Au and Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles, we performed intensive characterization of the products and clarified the formation mechanism of Au-Fe composite submicrometre spherical particles. Because of the above two measures (Fe₂O₃ raw nanoparticle and 355 nm pulsed laser), the products-whether the particles are phase-separated or homogeneous alloys-basically follow the phase diagram. In Fe-rich range, the phase-separated Au-core/Fe-shell particles were formed, because quenching induces an earlier solidification of the Fe-rich component as a result of cooling from the surrounding ethanol. If the particle size is small, the quenching rate becomes very rapid and particles were less phase-separated. For high Au contents exceeding 70% in weight, crystalline Au-rich alloys were formed without phase separation. Thus, this aggregation control is required to selectively form homogeneous or phase-separated larger submicrometre-sized particles by PLML., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

We describe a hybrid system that realizes cooperativity between an organophotoredox acridinium catalyst and a chiral chromium complex catalyst, thereby enabling unprecedented exploitation of unactivated hydrocarbon alkenes as precursors to chiral allylchromium nucleophiles for asymmetric allylation of aldehydes. The reaction proceeds under visible light irradiation at room temperature, affording the corresponding homoallylic alcohols with a diastereomeric ratio >20/1 and up to 99% ee. The addition of Mg(ClO 4 ) 2 markedly enhanced both the reactivity and enantioselectivity.