[A rare case of hepatosplenic cat scratch disease].

A female patient in her 60s, treated with oral corticosteroids for scleroderma diagnosed 11 years ago, visited our hospital complaining of a persistent fever and liver dysfunction. She was treated with antibiotics, but her fever continued. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed multiple hypoechoic splenic masses. Splenic masses revealed multiple masses with no contrast effect in arterial and portal phases and nuclear in equilibrium phase by contrast computed tomography study, as well as hyperintensity masses with low signal areas in magnetic resonance imaging T2-weighted images. Liver tissue was obtained by percutaneous liver biopsy, and histological findings showed epithelioid cell granulomas without tumor cells. Further interview and physical examination revealed scratch scars from domestic cats and left axillary lymph node swelling. Hence, a cat scratch disease was suspected. She was diagnosed with cat scratch disease by serum indirect immunofluorescence. Her fever was resolved with minocycline administration. Therefore, persistent fever with splenic masses should be suspected of hepatosplenic cat scratch disease.

[A case of adult intussusception associated with Escherichia coli enterocolitis].

A 38-year-old man visited our hospital with a complaint of diarrhea and abdominal pain. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed that the ileocecal site was intussuscepted to the transverse colon without ischemia. After we reduced intussusception with an enema using a water-soluble contrast agent, his abdominal pain disappeared. Colonoscopy was performed immediately after reduction and showed erosion and edema at the ileocecal site without tumor. The stool culture at admission revealed verotoxin 1 producing Escherichia coli O-26;therefore, we established a diagnosis of intussusception associated with Escherichia coli enterocolitis. Bacterial enteritis should be considered as a potential cause in adult patients with intussusception.

Fabrication of Hybrid Capsules via CaCO3 Crystallization on Degradable Coacervate Droplets.

Organic-inorganic CaCO3 capsules were prepared by crystallization of CaCO3 on Pickering emulsion prepared using coacervate droplets made from thermoresponsive and degradable poly(2-methylene-1,3-dioxepane- co-2-hydroxyethyl acrylate) (poly(MDO- co-HEA)) in sole aqueous medium. The diameters of CaCO3-based Pickering emulsion could be controlled by varying several parameters: diameter of CaCO3 powders, initial polymer concentration, and copolymer composition. The CaCO3 Pickering emulsion was able to load low-molecular-weight hydrophobic substances at temperatures above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) due to formation of polymer-concentrated phases, i.e., coacervate droplets. The diameter of CaCO3 capsules prepared by crystallization also depended on the diameter of the CaCO3 Pickering emulsion. The CaCO3 shell was composed of calcite-type crystals, the most stable polymorph among known CaCO3 crystals. The facially prepared CaCO3 capsules are valuable for use in functional biomaterials, such as drug delivery carriers and cell culture scaffolds for noninvasive bone-regenerative medicine.

Preparation of Microvolume Anion-Exchange Cartridge for Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry-Based Determination of (237)Np Content in Spent Nuclear Fuel.

Microvolume anion-exchange porous polymer disk-packed cartridges were prepared for Am/Np separation, which is required prior to the measurement of Neptunium-237 ((237)Np) with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS). Disks with a volume of 0.08 cm(3) were cut out from porous sheets having anion-exchange-group-containing polymer chains densely attached on the pore surface. Four different amine-based groups, N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, trimethylammonium, diethylamine, and triethylenediamine (TEDA), were selected as the anion-exchange groups to be introduced into the porous sheets. The separation performances of Am/Np were evaluated using a standard solution of (243)Am, which had the same activity as its daughter nuclide (239)Np in secular equilibrium. (239)Np recovery of close to 100% with practically no contamination of (243)Am was achieved using the TEDA-introduced disk-packed cartridge. The time to elute (239)Np from the cartridge was approximately 40 s. The TEDA-introduced disk-packed cartridge was applied to the separation of Np from a spent nuclear fuel sample to confirm its separation performance. A known amount of (243)Am ((239)Np) was added to the spent nuclear fuel sample solution to monitor the chemical yield of Np. The chemical yield of Np calculated from a measured concentration of (239)Np was 90.4%. Am leakage in the Np-eluted solution was less than 1 ppt, corresponding to 0.001% of the original Am concentration in the sample. This indicates that no additional (239)Np was produced by the decay of the (243)Am remaining in the Np-eluted solution, thus providing a reliable chemical yield. U, which can cause a serious spectral interference involving the peak tail from the mass spectrum of (238)U, was thoroughly removed with the TEDA cartridge, providing interference-free measurement of (237)Np. The concentration of (237)Np obtained by ICPMS was 718 ± 12 ng/mg-U, which agrees well with the theoretically calculated value. Compared with the conventional separation technique using commercially available anion-exchange resin columns, the time required to adsorb, wash, and elute Np using the TEDA- introduced disk-packed cartridge was reduced by 75%.

Freezing or death feigning? Beetles selected for long death feigning showed different tactics against different predators.

Prey evolve antipredator strategies against multiple enemies in nature. We examined how a prey species adopts different predation avoidance tactics against pursuit or sit-and-wait predators. As prey, we used three strains of Tribolium beetles artificially selected for short (short strain) or long (long strain) duration of death feigning, and a stock culture (base population). Death feigning is known to be effective for evading a jumping spider in the case of the long strains, while the present study showed that the long-strain beetles used freezing against a sit-and-wait type predator, Amphibolus venator, in this study. The short- strain beetles were more easily oriented toward predators. The time to predation was also shorter in the short strains compared to the long strains. The results showed that, as prey, the short strains displayed the same behavior, escaping, against both types of predators. Traditionally, death feigning has been thought to be the last resort in a series of antipredator avoidance behaviors. However, our results showed that freezing and death feigning were not parts of a series of behaviors, but independent strategies against different predators, at least for long-strain beetles. We also examined the relationship between a predator's starvation level and its predatory behavior. In addition, the orientation behavior toward and predation rate on the prey were observed to determine how often the predatory insect attacked the beetles.

Pt/WO3 Nanoparticle-Dispersed Polydimethylsiloxane Membranes for Transparent and Flexible Hydrogen Gas Leakage Sensors.

Hydrogen gas is a promising, clean, and highly efficient energy source. However, to use combustible H2 gas safety, high-performance and safe gas leakage sensors are required. In this study, transparent and flexible platinum-catalyst-loaded tungsten trioxide (Pt/WO3) nanoparticle-dispersed membranes were prepared as H2 gas leakage sensors. The nanoparticle-dispersed membrane with a Pt:W compositional ratio of 1:13 was transparent and exhibited a sufficient color change in response to H2 gas. The membrane containing 0.75 wt.% of Pt/WO3 nanoparticles exhibited high transparency over a wide wavelength range and the largest transmittance change in response to H2 gas among the others. The heat treatment of the particles at 573 K provided sufficient crystallinity and an accessible area for a gasochromic reaction, resulting in a rapid and sensitive response to the presence of H2 gas. The lower limit of detection of the optimized Pt/WO3 nanoparticle-dispersed membrane by naked eye was 0.4%, which was one-tenth of the minimum explosive concentration. This novel membrane was transparent as well as flexible and exhibited a clear and rapid color response to H2. Therefore, it is an ideal candidate sensor for the safe and easy detection of H2 gas leakage.

Design of a Sensitive Extracellular Vesicle Detection Method Utilizing a Surface-Functionalized Power-Free Microchip.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are small membrane vesicles secreted from cells into bodily fluids, are promising candidates as biomarkers for various diseases. We propose a simple, highly sensitive method for detecting EVs using a microchip. The limit of detection (LOD) for EVs was improved 29-fold by changing the microchannel structure of the microchip and by optimizing the EV detection protocols. The height of the microchannel was changed from 25 to 8 µm only at the detection region, and the time for EV capture was extended from 5 to 10 min. The LOD was 6.3 × 1010 particles/mL, which is lower than the concentration of EVs in the blood. The detection time was 19 min, and the volume of EV solution used was 2.0 µL. These results indicate that an efficient supply of EVs to the detection region is effective in improving the sensitivity of EV detection. The proposed EV detection method is expected to contribute to the establishment of EV-based cancer point-of-care testing.

Phase II Prospective Study of Trastuzumab in Combination with S-1 and Oxaliplatin (SOX100) Therapy for HER2-Positive Advanced Gastric Cancer.

PURPOSE: The standard first-line treatment for human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2)-positive advanced gastric cancer (AGC) is trastuzumab in combination with cisplatin and fluoropyrimidines. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of S-1 and oxaliplatin (100 mg/m2) (SOX100) combined with trastuzumab, a monoclonal antibody against HER2 for HER2-positive AGC. METHODS: In this single-arm, multicenter phase II study, patients with HER2-positive AGC received S-1 (80-120 mg per day) orally on days 1-14, oxaliplatin (100 mg/m2) intravenously on day 1, and trastuzumab (8 mg/kg on day 1 of the first cycle, followed by 6 mg/kg every 3 weeks) intravenously. The primary end point was 1-year survival rate. The secondary end points included overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), overall response rate (ORR), and safety. RESULTS: A total of 25 patients from six centers were enrolled from December 2015 to March 2020. In the 25 patients evaluable for analysis, the 1-year survival rate was 70.8% [90% confidence interval (CI) = 55.5-86.1%], whereas the median OS, PFS, and ORR were 17.8 (95% CI 10.5-22.9) months, 7.6 (95% CI 5.0-10.9) months, and 75.0% (95% CI 53.3-90.2), respectively. Major grade 3/4 adverse events included anorexia (20%), anemia (16%), peripheral sensory neuropathy (16%), and diarrhea (15%). CONCLUSION: SOX100 combined with trastuzumab was effective with a favorable safety profile in patients with HER2-positive AGC.

Multiplex MicroRNA Detection on a Surface-Functionalized Power-Free Microfluidic Chip.

Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as promising cancer biomarkers because their concentration profiles in body fluids are associated with the type and clinical stage of cancer. For multiplex miRNA detection, a novel surface-functionalized power-free microfluidic chip (SF-PF microchip) has been developed. The inner surface of the SF-PF microchip microchannels was functionalized via electron beam-induced graft polymerization and immobilization of capture probe DNAs. Simultaneous and specific duplex miRNA detection was achieved on the line-type SF-PF microchip with detection limits of 19.1 and 47.6 nmol L-1 for hsa-miR-16 and hsa-miR-500a-3p, respectively. Moreover, simultaneous and specific triplex miRNA detection was achieved on the stripe-type SF-PF microchip. The sample volume required for this microchip was 0.5 µL, and the time required for detection was 17 min. These results indicate that up to six types of miRNAs could be detected without compromising the advantages of the previous SF-PF microchips for cancer point-of-care testing.

High-resolution separation of neodymium and dysprosium ions utilizing extractant-impregnated graft-type particles.

An efficient method for rare metal recovery from environmental water and urban mines is in high demand. Toward rapid and high-resolution rare metal ion separation, a novel bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (HDEHP)-impregnated graft-type particle as a filler for a chromatography column is proposed. To achieve rapid and high-resolution separation, a convection-flow-aided elution mode is required. The combination of 35 µm non-porous particles and a polymer-brush-rich particle structure minimizes the distance from metal ion binding sites to the convection flow in the column, resulting in minimized diffusional mass transfer resistance and the convection-flow-aided elution mode. The HDEHP-impregnated graft-type non-porous-particle-packed cartridge developed in this study exhibited a higher separation performance for model rare metals, neodymium (III) and dysprosium (III) ions, and a narrower peak at a higher linear velocity, than those of previous HDEHP-impregnated fiber-packed and commercially available Lewatit® VP OC 1026-packed cartridges.

Rapid separation of zirconium using microvolume anion-exchange cartridge for 93Zr determination with isotope dilution ICP-MS.

Estimating the risks associated with radiation from long-lived fission products (LLFP) in radioactive waste is essential to ensure the long-term safety of potential disposal sites. In this study, the amount of 93Zr, a LLFP, was determined by ICP-MS after separating Zr from a spent nuclear fuel solution using a microvolume anion-exchange cartridge (TEDA cartridge). Zirconium in 9.4 M HCl was stably retained on the TEDA cartridge and readily eluted with 0.75 mL of a mixed solution of 9.4 M HCl and 0.01 M HF. The time taken to complete the Zr separation was 1.2 min. Almost all the other elements initially present in the spent nuclear fuel sample were removed, leading to accurate measurement of all six Zr isotopes (90Zr, 91Zr, 92Zr, 93Zr, 94Zr, and 96Zr). This demonstrated that the TEDA cartridge allowed highly selective separation of Zr regardless of its small bed volume of 0.08 cm3. The concentrations of these isotopes were determined by an isotope-dilution method using a natural Zr standard that has a different isotopic composition from that of the spent nuclear fuel sample. The amount of 93Zr in an initial spent nuclear fuel pellet was 1081 ±â€¯79 ng per mg of 238U. The measured concentrations of all Zr isotopes, as well as the isotopic composition, were consistent with values predicted using a burnup calculation code.

High-throughput solid-phase extraction of metal ions using an iminodiacetate chelating porous disk prepared by graft polymerization.

A chelating porous sheet for use in solid-phase extraction was prepared by radiation-induced graft polymerization and subsequent chemical modifications. An epoxy-group-containing vinyl monomer was graft-polymerized onto a porous sheet made of polyethylene. The produced epoxy group of the graft chain was converted into an iminodiacetate group. The chelating porous sheet with a density of the iminodiacetate group of 2.1 mol/kg was cut into disks 13 mm in diameter to fit an empty cylindrical cartridge with a capacity of 6 mL. Breakthrough curves using the chelating-porous-disk-packed cartridge overlapped irrespective of the flow rate of the solution ranging up to 1500 mL/h because of negligible diffusional mass-transfer resistance of the copper ions to the iminodiacetate group of the graft chain.

Preparation of a Surface-functionalized Power-free PDMS Microchip for MicroRNA Detection Utilizing Electron Beam-induced Graft Polymerization.

We propose an easy microchannel surface functionalization method for a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microchip that utilizes electron beam-induced graft polymerization (EIGP) as a platform for microchip-based biomarker analysis. Unlike other grafting techniques, EIGP enables rapid surface modification of PDMS without initiator immobilization. The grafted microchip is preservable, and can be easily functionalized for versatile applications. In this study, the surface-functionalized power-free microchip (SF-PF microchip) was used for the detection of microRNA (miRNA), which is a biomarker for many serious diseases. The EIGP enables high-density three-dimensional probe DNA immobilization, resulting in rapid and sensitive miRNA detection on the portable SF-PF microchip. The limit of detection was 0.8 pM, the required sample volume was 0.5 µL, and the analysis time was 15 min. The SF-PF microchip will be a versatile platform for microchip-based point-of-care diagnosis.

Rapid and Easy Extracellular Vesicle Detection on a Surface-Functionalized Power-Free Microchip toward Point-of-Care Diagnostics.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are promising novel cancer biomarkers. However, rapid and easy analysis of EVs is challenging because conventional detection methods require large sample volumes and long detection times. Microchip-based analytical systems have particularly attracted attention for development of point-of-care (POC) diagnostics. Previously, various biomarker detection methods on a portable power-free poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microchip using laminar flow-assisted dendritic amplification have been developed. Recently, for easy functionalization, we proposed a microchannel inner surface-functionalized power-free PDMS microchip (SF-PF microchip) utilizing electron beam-induced graft polymerization. In this study, we apply the technique and prepare a novel SF-PF microchip. On the microchip, EVs were successfully detected. The required sample volume was 1.0 µL, and the total analysis time was 20 min. The microchip can contribute to EV-based POC cancer diagnosis.

Multiplex MicroRNA Detection on a Power-free Microfluidic Chip with Laminar Flow-assisted Dendritic Amplification.

MicroRNA (miRNA) profile-based point-of-care (POC) diagnostic methods have attracted considerable attention. In our laboratory, singleplex miRNA detection on a power-free poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microfluidic chip with laminar flow-assisted dendritic amplification (LFDA) has been developed. In this study, to obtain the miRNA profile and to improve the reliability of the diagnosis, multiplex miRNA detection on the same system is demonstrated without compromising any advantages of the singleplex miRNA detection. The limit of detection (LOD) was at the femto- to picomolar level and the assay time was 20 min. The sensitivity, rapidity, and portability of the microfluidic chip are adequate for POC diagnosis.