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We have succeeded in refolding of aggregated recombinant protein from Escherichia coli in hydrated ionic liquids. In cholinium dihydrogen phosphate containing a limited amount of water molecules, aggregated solid cellulase was dissolved and refolding was successfully carried out without further processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: We developed a new method of endoscope holder-assisted percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) placement requiring only a single physician. OBJECTIVE: This study compared the feasibility and safety of the new method with the conventional pull method of PEG performed by 2 physicians. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized comparison study. SETTING: Rural municipal hospital. PATIENTS: Eighty consecutive patients with dysphagia. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomized to receive PEG placement by a single physician using the endoscope holder (40 patients) or by 2 physicians using the conventional pull method (40 patients). MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: The success rate, duration, and complications of both methods were scored. RESULTS: The success rate of PEG by either method was similar (98%) using the endoscope holder compared with 100% with the conventional method. The duration of both endoscopic procedures was also similar (12.9 +/- 2 and 11.5 +/- 2 minutes) (P = .43). No major complication occurred with either procedure. There was 1 death within 30 days (of aspiration pneumonia) 3 days after conventional PEG placement. LIMITATIONS: The number of patients evaluated is small. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscope holder-assisted PEG placement allows a single physician to perform all the important aspects of pull PEG placement under direct vision without assistance from another specially trained individual. The method appears to be as feasible and safe as the conventional pull method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we report a case in which nivolumab plus ipilimumab combination therapy was significantly effective for MSI-high recurrent colon cancer with acute exacerbation after 5-FU/L-OHP/CPT-11 treatment. At the end of 4 cycles of combination therapy, clinical CR was obtained on diagnostic imaging. At the end of the 2 cycles of transition from combination therapy to monotherapy, eosinophilia was observed in a quadratic function, and exacerbation of skin disorders was observed. Eosinophil counts normalized promptly after discontinuation of treatment, and skin disorders gradually improved. Two months after the discontinuation of treatment, monotherapy was restarted. After the resumption of treatment, an increase in eosinophils and worsening of skin symptoms were observed again, and stopped treatment. We report an interesting case in which immune checkpoint inhibiter were turned on and off according to eosinophil counts for preventing exacerbation of skin disorders, and for maintaining cancer remission by continuing immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment.

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a zoonotic virus that causes tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) in humans. Infections of Sapporo-17-Io1 (Sapporo) and Oshima 5-10 (Oshima) TBEV strains showed different pathogenic effects in mice. However, the differences between the two strains are unknown. In this study, we examined neuronal degeneration and death, and activation of glial cells in mice inoculated with each strain to investigate the pathogenesis of TBE. Viral growth was similar between Sapporo and Oshima, but neuronal degeneration and death, and activation of glial cells, was more prominent with Oshima. In human neuroblastoma cells, apoptosis and pyroptosis were not observed after TBEV infection. However, the expression of the necroptosis marker, mixed lineage kinase domain-like (MLKL) protein, was upregulated by TBEV infection, and this upregulation was more pronounced in Oshima than Sapporo infections. As necroptosis is a pro-inflammatory type of cell death, differences in necroptosis induction might be involved in the differences in neuropathogenicity of TBE., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The plastic waste problem has recently attracted unprecedented attention globally. To reduce the adverse eff ects on environments, biodegradable polymers have been studied to solve the problems. Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) is one of the common biodegradable plastics used on its own or blended with natural polymers because of its excellent properties after blending. However, PCL and natural polymers are difficult to blend due to the polymers' properties. Grafted polymerization of maleic anhydride and dibenzoyl peroxide (DBPO) with PCL is one of the improvements used for blending immiscible polymers. In this study, we first focused on the effects of three factors (stirring time, maleic anhydride (MA) amount and benzoyl peroxide amount) on the grafting ratio with a maximum value of 4.16% when applying 3.000 g MA and 1.120 g DBPO to 3.375 g PCL with a stirring time of 18 h. After that, the grafting condition was studied based on the kinetic thermal decomposition and activation energy by the Coats-Redfern method. The optimal fitting model was confirmed by the determination coefficient of nearly 1 to explain the contracting volume mechanism of synthesized PCL-g-MA. Consequently, grafted MA hydrophilically augmented PCL as the reduced contact angle of water suggests, facilitating the creation of a plastic-biomaterial composite.

This study aims to develop an antibacterial agent that can be used for food packaging. Essential oils of Houttuynia cordata Thunb., a well-known medical herb, were extracted by two methods: multi-solvent consecutive extraction method and single ethanol extraction with a pre-heating method. Consequently, the extract obtained by the single ethanol extraction with a pre-heating method was more satisfactory from the operational and economic aspects. Afterwards, one of the encapsulation techniques: co-precipitation method using β-cyclodextrins as wall materials, was applied to form capsules for the protection of the obtained extract. After the capsule synthesis, the results of scanning electron micrographs and X-ray diffraction showed β-cyclodextrin crystallites in the form of thinner plates became oriented upon co-precipitation. Combining the results of Fourier transform-infrared spectra and an antibacterial assay using Bacillus subtilis as an object microorganism, the extract was confirmed to be successfully encapsulated within hollow cavities of β-cyclodextrins. A significant inhibitory activity on the growth and breeding of Bacillus subtilis was observed after the addition of fabricated capsules, which suggests the capsules containing the Houttuynia cordata Thunb. extract can be used as eco-friendly antibacterial agents for food packaging., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of kinetic analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) using 17 O-labeled water tracer. Four subjects (two idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) and two possible AD dementia patients) were prospectively included. Injectable formulation of 17 O-labeled water containing 10 mol% of H 2 17 O (PSO17), was intrathecally administered to the subjects with the lateral decubitus position between the 3rd and 4th lumbar vertebrae. MRI acquisitions were performed in four-time points, before PSO17 administration, 1, 8, and 24 h after PSO17 administration. The 3-dimensional fast spin echo sequence was used. After image registration for all four-time points data, polygonal regions of interest (ROIs) were set in the 14 regions to obtain the signal intensity of CSF. Each signal intensity within the ROI was converted to 17 O concentration [%]. The peak concentration at one hour after administration, the slope of concentration changes after PSO17 administration [%/s], and the root mean square error (RMSE) for evaluating the performance of a fitting were calculated. There was no significant difference in peak concentration between the iNPH and AD group. The slope in the AD group (-2.25 ± 1.62 × 10 -3 [%/h]) was significantly smaller than in the iNPH group (-1.21 ± 2.31 × 10 -3 [%/h]), which suggests the speed of CSF clearance in the iNPH group was slower than AD group. The RMSE indicating the fit to the concentration change in the AD group (4.86 ± 4.74 × 10 -3 ) was also significantly smaller than in the iNPH group (8.64 ± 7.56 × 10 -3 ). The kinetic evaluation of CSF using 17 O-labeled water was feasible, and this preliminary study suggests that the differentiation of iNPH and possible AD dementia can be achieved using this method., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: In Japan there are limited opportunities for pediatric gastrointestinal (GI) trainees to learn GI endoscopy. This study investigated whether a short-term intensive training for 3 months in an adult GI unit enabled pediatric GI trainees to acquire the required number of cases and the technical competence to perform pediatric GI endoscopic procedures., Methods: This was a retrospective case series of pediatric GI trainees who underwent 3 months of intensive endoscopy training, which also included direct observation and a questionnaire. The numbers of esophagogastroduodenoscopies (EGD), ileocolonoscopies, and snare polypectomies each trainee performed as well as cecal intubation rates were collected with the goal of meeting the standards of overseas educational guidelines. The trainees were also asked about continuing experience with pediatric endoscopic procedures after the intensive training., Results: There were 10 enrolled trainees, 9 men, average age, 34 (range, 29-41). The average number (range) of EGD and ileocolonoscopies that the 10 trainees had done before this training period was 52 (0-200) and 15 (0-20), respectively. The average number (range) of EGD, ileocolonoscopies and snare polypectomies per each trainee was 651.7 (485-814), 159.2 (130-195) and 25.8 (10-55), respectively, over 3 months: all trainees thus fulfilled all of the criteria of the minimal training requirements. All trainees also reached the required threshold in the cecal intubation rate (>90%). In addition, all trainees were able to perform pediatric endoscopic procedures alone after the intensive training period., Conclusions: Short-term intensive training for 3 months in an adult GI setting enabled pediatric GI trainees to acquire technical competence for pediatric endoscopic procedures., (© 2021 Japan Pediatric Society.)

Background and Study Aims: Cold snare polypectomy (CSP) is not recommended for the resection of pedunculated colorectal polyp. The aim of this study was to examine the adequacy of CSP compared to hot snare polypectomy (HSP) for the complete resection of pedunculated polyps with heads ≤ 1 cm in diameter., Patients and Methods: This was a retrospective study of a cohort of consecutive outpatients who had resection of pedunculated polyps with heads 6-10 mm in diameter using either dedicated CSP or HSP from 2014 through 2019. The primary outcome measure was occurrence of delayed bleeding. Secondary outcome measures included total procedure time, en bloc resection rate, immediate bleeding, and number of clips used., Results: 415 patients with 444 eligible polyps were enrolled; the CSP group (363 patients; 386 polyps) and HSP group (52 patients; 58 polyps). Patient characteristics, polyp characteristics and en bloc resection rate were similar between groups. The mean total procedure time and mean number (range) of hemostatic clips/ patient used were significantly lower with CSP than with HSP (18± 8 min vs. 25± 9 min, P<0.001; 1.1 ± 0.6 (1-3) vs.3.1 ± 1.6 (1-5), respectively, P<0.001). Delayed bleeding occurred significantly less frequently in the CSP, 0% (0/363 vs.3.8% (2/52) in the HSP group (P<0.001), although immediate bleeding was significantly higher in CSP than HSP (84% (325/386) vs. 12% (7/58), P<0.001)., Conclusion: Pedunculated colorectal polyps with heads ≤ 1 cm can be removed using CSP, which has several advantages over HSP., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest, (© Acta Gastro-Enterologica Belgica.)