Seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 N antibodies between December 2021 and march 2023 in Japan.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in 2019 in China and rapidly spread worldwide, leading to a pandemic. The threat of SARS-CoV-2 is subsiding as most people have acquired sufficient antibodies through vaccination and/or infection to prevent severe COVID-19. After the emergence of the omicron variants, the seroprevalence of antibodies against the N protein elicited by SARS-CoV-2 infection ranged from 44.4% to 80.2% in countries other than Japan. Here, we assessed the seroprevalence in Japan before and after the appearance of omicron variants. Serosurveillance of antibodies against N was conducted between December 2021 and March 2023 in Japan. In total, 7604 and 3354 residual serum or plasma samples were collected in the Tokyo metropolitan area and Sapporo, respectively. We found that the seroprevalence in representative regions of Japan increased approximately 3% to 23% after the emergence of the omicron variants. We also found higher seroprevalence among the young compared with the elderly. Our findings indicate that unlike other countries, most of the Japanese population has not been infected, raising the possibility of future SARS-CoV-2 epidemics in Japan.

Comparison of the incidence of vancomycin-associated nephrotoxicity following the change from trough-guided dosing to AUC-guided doing using trough-only data.

OBJECTIVES: Although use of AUC-guided vancomycin dosing was recommended in the revised 2020 consensus guideline, collection of multiple vancomycin serum samples to calculate AUC may cause clinical complications. AUC calculated from trough-only data (one-point AUC-guided dosing) has not been sufficiently validated. The aim of the present study was to compare the incidence of nephrotoxicity following the change from trough-guided to one-point AUC-guided dosing. METHODS: We conducted a single-centre, prospective cohort study to compare the incidence of nephrotoxicity between a trough-guided dosing group and one-point AUC-guided dosing group. RESULTS: One-point AUC-guided dosing significantly decreased the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) compared with trough-guided dosing (2.8% versus 17.4%, P = 0.002). Further, Kaplan-Meier plots for cumulative incidence of the AKI-free rate indicated that the onset of AKI was significantly longer in the one-point AUC-guided dosing group than in trough-guided dosing (HR, 6.5; 95% CI, 1.5-27.4; P = 0.011). Moreover, multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis indicated that implementation of one-point AUC-guided dosing was a significant protective factor against the incidence of AKI (age-adjusted HR, 0.164; 95% CI, 0.04-0.69; P = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with trough concentration-guided dosing, AUC-guided dosing using one-point sampling markedly reduced the incidence of AKI, without additional serum sampling.

Prognostic impact of severe neutropenia in colorectal cancer patients treated with TAS-102 and bevacizumab, addressing immortal-time bias.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have reported an association between severe neutropenia and long-term survival in patients treated with trifluridine-tipiracil (TAS-102). Because some of these studies failed to address immortality time bias, however, their findings should be interpreted with caution. Additionally, the association between severe neutropenia and survival in patients receiving TAS-102 in combination with bevacizumab (Bmab) remains unclear. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study in patients with colorectal cancer who received Bmab + TAS-102. We compared overall survival (OS) between patients who developed grade ≥ 3 neutropenia during the treatment period and those who did not. To account for immortal time bias, we used two approaches, time-varying Cox regression and landmark analysis. RESULTS: Median OS was 15.3 months [95% CI: 14.1-NA] in patients with grade ≥ 3 neutropenia and 10.0 months [95% CI: 8.1-NA] in those without. In time-varying Cox regression, onset grade ≥ 3 neutropenia was significantly related to longer survival after adjustment for age and modified Glasgow Prognostic Score. Additionally, 30-, 60-, 90-, and 120-day landmark analysis showed that grade ≥ 3 neutropenia was associated with longer survival after adjustment for age and modified Glasgow Prognostic Score, with respective HRs of 0.30 [0.10-0.90], 0.65 [0.30-1.42], 0.39 [0.17-0.90], and 0.41 [0.18-0.95]. CONCLUSION: We identified an association between long-term survival and the development of severe neutropenia during the early cycle of Bmab + TAS-102 using an approach that addressed immortality time bias.

Theoretical investigation of active listening behavior based on the echolocation of CF-FM bats.

Bats perceive the three-dimensional environment by emitting ultrasound pulses from their nose or mouth and receiving echoes through both ears. To determine the position of a target object, it is necessary to know the distance and direction of the target. Certain bat species that use a combined signal of long constant frequency and short frequency modulated ultrasounds synchronize their pinnae movement with pulse emission, and this behavior has been regarded as helpful for localizing the elevation angle of a reflective sound source. However, the significance of bats' ear motions remains unclear. In this study, we construct a model of an active listening system including the motion of the ears, and conduct mathematical investigations to clarify the importance of ear motion in direction detection of the reflective sound source. In the simulations, direction detection under rigid ear movements with interaural level differences was mathematically investigated by assuming that bats accomplish direction detection using the amplitude modulation in the echoes caused by ear movements. In particular, the ear motion conditions required for direction detection are theoretically investigated through exhaustive simulations of the pseudo-motion of the ears, rather than simulations of the actual ear motions of bats. The theory suggests that only certain ear motions, namely three-axis rotation, allow for accurate and robust direction detection. Our theoretical analysis also strongly supports the behavior whereby bats move their pinnae in the antiphase mode. In addition, we suggest that simple shaped hearing directionality and well-selected uncomplicated ear motions are sufficient to achieve precise and robust direction detection. Our findings and mathematical approach have the potential to be used in the design of active sensing systems in various engineering fields.

Factors affecting the sensitivity of quantitative severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 antigen test.

INTRODUCTION: The accuracy of nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) is affected by various factors; however, studies examining the factors affecting the accuracy of quantitative severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antigen test (QAT) are limited. METHODS: A total of 347 nasopharyngeal samples were collected from patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and the date of onset was obtained from the electronic medical records. The SARS-CoV-2 antigen level was measured using Lumipulse Presto SARS-CoV-2 Ag (Presto), while NAAT was performed using the Ampdirect 2019-nCoV Detection Kit. RESULTS: Presto had a sensitivity rate of 95.1% (95% confidence interval: 92.8-97.4) in detecting the SARS-CoV-2 antigen in 347 samples. The number of days from symptom onset to sample collection was negatively correlated with the amount of antigen (r = -0.515) and sensitivity of Presto (r = -0.711). The patients' age was lower in the Presto-negative samples (median age, 39 years) compared with that in the Presto-positive samples (median age, 53 years; p < 0.01). A significant positive correlation was observed between age (excluding teenagers) and Presto sensitivity (r = 0.764). Meanwhile, no association was found between the mutant strain, sex, and Presto results. CONCLUSION: Presto is useful for the accurate diagnosis of COVID-19 owing to its high sensitivity when the number of days from symptom onset to sample collection is within 12 days. Furthermore, age may affect the results of Presto, and this tool has a relatively low sensitivity in younger patients.

Age-Stratified Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies before and during the Vaccination Era, Japan, February 2020-March 2022.

Japan has reported a relatively small number of COVID-19 cases. Because not all infected persons receive diagnostic tests for COVID-19, the reported number must be lower than the actual number of infections. We assessed SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence by analyzing >60,000 samples collected in Japan (Tokyo Metropolitan Area and Hokkaido Prefecture) during February 2020-March 2022. The results showed that ≈3.8% of the population had become seropositive by January 2021. The seroprevalence increased with the administration of vaccinations; however, among the elderly, seroprevalence was not as high as the vaccination rate. Among children, who were not eligible for vaccination, infection was spread during the epidemic waves caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron variants. Nevertheless, seroprevalence for unvaccinated children <5 years of age was as low as 10% as of March 2022. Our study underscores the low incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Japan and the effects of vaccination on immunity at the population level.

Performance analysis among multiple fully automated anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody measurement reagents: A potential indicator for the correlation of protection in the antibody titer.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the performance of various reagents in automated analyzers for antibody detection against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). METHODS: Using 100 serum samples from 100 individual patients diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection, the precision, linearity, determination agreement, and correlation of five qualitative reagents (Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2, ARCHITECT SARS-CoV-2 IgG, ARCHITECT SARS-CoV-2 IgM, Access SARS-CoV-2 IgM, and SARS-CoV-2 IgM) and four quantitative reagents (Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S, ARCHITECT SARS-CoV-2 IgG II, Access SARS-CoV-2 IgG 1st IS, and SARS-COV-2 IgG S) were analyzed. A surrogate virus-neutralizing test (sVNT) kit was used to evaluate the measurement value of each quantitative reagent corresponding to the amount of neutralizing antibody, similar to that of patients in the late stage of infection. RESULTS: Precision and linearity were found to be sufficient for clinical use. Five discrepant samples were observed in the positive and negative judgments of the qualitative reagents for IgG, and one discrepant sample was observed in the qualitative reagent for IgM. Although the measurement values of the quantitative reagents were different, they were correlated with each reagent. The reference values inferred from the sVNT were Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2: 71.8 U/L, ARCHITECT SARS-CoV-2 IgGⅡ: 2976.3 AU/mL, Access SARS-CoV-2 IgG 1st IS: 689.6 IU/mL, and SARS-CoV-2 IgG S: 19.3 U/L. CONCLUSIONS: The performance observed for each anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody detection reagent was sufficient. The reference values based on the inhibition rate of sVNT have potential as indicators of the correlation of protection and are expected to be leveraged in automated antibody tests.

Study of post-opening stability of active ingredients in hand sanitizers.

INTRODUCTION: Hand disinfection plays an important role in infection control. Currently, hand sanitizers containing ethanol and chlorhexidine gluconate as active ingredients are widely used. Most of hand sanitizers have a defined expiration date for use. However, there was no rule about the expiration date after opening defined with the evidence. Therefore, we examined the fluctuation of active ingredients and disinfection effect after opening the bottle. METHOD: Twelve hand sanitizers from 44 to 921 days after opening set in different places in the hospital were examined and unopened hand sanitizer used as a control. Chlorhexidine gluconate and ethanol of each samples were measured by high performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography, respectively. The correlation between the concentration of each ingredient obtained and the number of days after opening, bottle weight, storage temperature and humidity was analyzed. A time-kill test based on ASTM E2315-03 was performed to confirm the actual disinfection effect. RESULTS: It was observed that active ingredients had not been decreased up to 921 days after opening and were not affected by storage conditions after opening. In addition, a decrease of disinfection effect was not observed in any sample. CONCLUSIONS: We found that hand sanitizers do not need to be discard after a number of days have passed because the active ingredients are retained even after opening in it.

Comparative study of rapid antigen testing and two nucleic acid amplification tests for influenza virus detection.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to evaluate rapid antigen detection (RAD) and rapid nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) to detect influenza virus (IV). METHODS: The conventional RAD test (Quick Chaser Flu A, B: QC), using silver amplified immunochromatography (Quick Chaser Auto Flu A, B: QCA), as well as two NAATs (Xpert Xpress Flu/RSV: Xpert, cobas Influenza A/B & RSV: cobas) were evaluated using nasopharyngeal swabs from suspected cases of influenza. A reference method was performed using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction according to the manual of the Japanese National Institute of Infectious Disease (NIID). RESULTS: From a total of 177 samples, 51 were positive according to the NIID assay. The kappa (κ) coefficient in Xpert and cobas for influenza A virus (IAV)/influenza B virus (IBV) was 1.00, which was the highest among the four detection assays. However, the κ coefficients in QC and QCA for IAV/IBV were 0.71-0.77 and 0.87-0.89, respectively. The sensitivities of the RAD tests were 41.7% in QC and 50.0% in QCA at < 6 h after onset, and 100.0% in both QC and QCA at 24-48 h after onset. The cycle threshold (Ct) values were significantly lower in the group in which all detection assays were positive for IAV. CONCLUSIONS: Xpert and cobas have comparable analytical performances and are highly useful as influenza virus detection assays. QC and QCA could show false negatives frequently in the early stage of infection and when viral load is low.

[Effective Treatment for Empyema with Fistula by Negative Pressure Wound Therapy:Report of a Case].

A 54-year-old male with alcoholic cirrhosis and diabetes mellitus was referred to our hospital for the treatment of right pleural empyema with fistula. Despite performing a simple suture closure of the pulmonary fistula, air leakage occurred one week after surgery. Hence, we covered the fistula with a pediculed muscle flap associated with an open window thoracostomy. After 32 days of gauze drainage, negative pressure wound therapy( NPWT) was introduced for reducing the residual pleural space. A chest computed tomography( CT) scan showed almost the full expansion of the lung after undergoing 98 days of NPWT. The patient was discharged from the hospital four months after thoracostomy.

Polaprezinc for prevention of oral mucositis in patients receiving chemotherapy followed by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: A multi-institutional randomized controlled trial.

Oral mucositis is a common and distressing complication in patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy followed by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We reported previously in a single-center retrospective analysis that zinc-L-carnosine (polaprezinc [PZ]) reduced the incidence of oral mucositis associated with HSCT. To verify the accuracy of the prophylactic effect of PZ against oral mucositis, we carried out a multi-institutional prospective randomized controlled study. Patients were randomly allocated to either the prevention group, in which PZ lozenge treatment was started before chemotherapy, or the control group, in which administration of PZ lozenges was initiated immediately after the onset of Grade 2 oral mucositis. Oral mucositis was evaluated daily from the start of chemotherapy to 35 days after transplantation. A total of 91 patients were enrolled, and 88 patients (47 in the control group and 41 in the prevention group) were eligible for data analysis. The incidence of Grade ≥2 but not Grade ≥3 oral mucositis was significantly reduced in the prevention group compared to the control group (44.7% in control group vs 22.0% in the prevention group, P = .025). There were no significant differences in the incidence rates of other adverse events or the rate of engraftment (95.6% vs 97.2%, P = .693) between the two groups. These findings suggest that PZ lozenge is effective for prophylaxis against Grade ≥2 oral mucositis associated with chemotherapy in patients undergoing HSCT without any influence on the HSCT outcome.

Evaluating a novel, highly sensitive, and quantitative reagent for detecting SARS-CoV-2 antigen.

INTRODUCTION: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is rapidly spreading all over the world. A new quantifying reagent for detecting SARS-CoV-2 antigen was developed for early and accurate detection. We evaluated the novel quantitative reagent for detecting SARS-CoV-2 antigen using an automated laboratory device. METHODS: One-hundred nasopharyngeal samples were collected from 47 SARS-CoV-2-infected patients, and 200 samples were collected from healthy donners. We measured the SARS-CoV-2 antigen and nucleic acid using Lumipulse Presto SARS-CoV-2 Ag and the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Detection Kit, respectively. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of the SARS-CoV-2 antigen test were 75.7% (56/74) and 96.0% (192/200), respectively. The concordance rate in the positive group between the antigen and nucleic acid tests was 66% (66/100). In addition, the correlation coefficient between the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 antigen and the level of SARS-CoV-2 RNA was 0.74. There were 19 discrepant samples in which SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected without SARS-CoV-2 antigen. There was significant difference between the discrepant and matched samples in terms of the time since symptom onset: the 19 discrepant samples were collected a median of 33 days after onset, while the 55 matched samples were collected a median of 19 days after onset. In addition, the 19 discrepant samples were collected from patients who were immune against SARS-CoV-2. CONCLUSIONS: This novel SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection assay is highly sensitive, rapid, accurate, easily diagnostic. It may be useful in both clinical diagnosis and in screening because it does not require special methods such as PCR.

Evaluation of false positives in the SARS-CoV-2 quantitative antigen test.

INTRODUCTION: Highly sensitive reagents for detecting SARS-CoV-2 antigens have been developed for accurate and rapid diagnosis till date. In this study, we aim to clarify the frequency of false-positive reactions and reveal their details in SARS-CoV-2 quantitative antigen test using an automated laboratory device. METHODS: Nasopharyngeal swab samples (n = 4992) and saliva samples (n = 5430) were collected. We measured their SARS-CoV-2 antigen using Lumipulse® Presto SARS-CoV-2 Ag and performed a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) using the Ampdirect™ 2019 Novel Coronavirus Detection Kit as needed. The results obtained from each detection test were compared accordingly. RESULTS: There were 304 nasopharyngeal samples and 114 saliva samples were positive in the Lumipulse® Presto SARS-CoV-2 Ag test. All positive nasopharyngeal samples in the antigen test were also positive for NAAT. In contrast, only three (2.6%) of all the positive saliva samples in the antigen test were negative for NAAT. One showed no linearity with a dilute solution in the dilution test. Additionally, the quantitative antigen levels of all the three samples did not decrease after reaction with the anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody. CONCLUSIONS: The judgment difference between the quantitative antigen test and NAAT seemed to be caused by non-specific reactions in the antigen test. Although the high positive and negative predictive value of this quantitative antigen test could be confirmed, we should consider the possibility of false-positives caused by non-specific reactions and understand the characteristics of antigen testing. We recommend that repeating centrifugation before measurement, especially in saliva samples, should be performed appropriately.

Association of albumin-bilirubin score in patients with colorectal cancer receiving later-line chemotherapy with regorafenib.

BACKGROUND: Regorafenib is recognized as a later-line standard treatment in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). In this study, we examined the association of the albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score in patients with mCRC receiving later-line chemotherapy with regorafenib. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from patients with mCRC treated with regorafenib in a later line between January 2013 and December 2019. Patients were divided into a Normal-ALBI group (ALBI grade 1) and a High-ALBI group (ALBI grades 2 and 3). Primary endpoint was median overall survival (OS) and secondary endpoints were median time to treatment failure (TTF) and incidence of adverse events (AEs). RESULTS: Data from 60 patients were analyzed (Normal-ALBI group: 32 patients and High-ALBI group: 28 patients). Median OS [10.23 vs. 3.70 months, hazard ratio (HR): 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02-3.13, p = 0.041] and median TTF (2.27 vs. 1.78 months, HR: 1.78, 95%CI 1.02-3.09, p = 0.042) were significantly longer in the Normal-ALBI group than High-ALBI group. On Cox proportional hazard analysis, ALBI score was significantly correlated with OS. The incidence of liver dysfunction (grade ≥ 2) was significantly higher in the High-ALBI than the Normal-ALBI group (42.9% vs. 15.6%, p = 0.041), whereas other AEs were comparable between the two groups. CONCLUSION: ALBI was strongly associated with the prognosis of patients with mCRC treated with regorafenib and with the occurrence of liver-related adverse events. These findings may imply that patients with a high ALBI score should not be treated with regorafenib.

Risk factors of mFOLFOX6-induced hyperammonemia in patients with colorectal cancer: an observational study.

BACKGROUND: FOLFOX therapy, a standard treatment for colorectal cancer (CRC), causes a rare, but serious adverse event, hyperammonemia. However, the risk factors of hyperammonemia remain unknown. METHODS: We examined 74 patients who received mFOLFOX6 therapy with or without biologics for CRC between April 2013 and March 2018 in Yaizu City Hospital. Clinicopathological factors were retrospectively reviewed in association with hyperammonemia, and risk factors of hyperammonemia during mFOLFOX6 therapy were analyzed in 32 patients with the available data. RESULTS: Seven patients developed hyperammonemia, with onset exclusively on day 2 or 3 in the first cycle of therapy. They were treated with branched chain amino acid administration and hydration; however, one patient with stage G4 chronic kidney disease (CKD) died. By multivariate analysis, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 was independently associated with hyperammonemia during FOLFOX therapy (odds ratio: 9.0, p = 0.040). CONCLUSIONS: Reduced eGFR is considered a risk factor of developing hyperammonemia during FOLFOX therapy. Serum ammonia levels should be monitored especially during the first cycle of FOLFOX therapy in patients with CKD stage G3 or higher.

Albumin-bilirubin score for predicting neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients receiving ifosfamide-based chemotherapy.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: Ifosfamide, an alkylating agent, is widely used in the treatment of malignant diseases. However, these treatments are often limited due to the incidence of neuropsychiatric symptoms such as delirium, seizures, hallucinations and agitation. In this study, we examined risk factors for neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients receiving ifosfamide-based chemotherapy. METHODS: The study cases were patients with cancer receiving ifosfamide-based chemotherapy between April 2007 and March 2018. Risk analysis for ifosfamide-related neuropsychiatric symptoms was determined by time-dependent Cox proportional hazard regression analysis. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Of 183 eligible patients, 32 patients (17.5%) experienced ifosfamide-related neuropsychiatric symptoms. Time-dependent Cox proportional hazard model showed that the albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score was significantly correlated with the incidence of ifosfamide-related neuropsychiatric symptoms (hazard ratio [HR] =1.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.05-2.01, p = 0.025). Additionally, there were correlations between the predicted risk of neuropsychiatric symptoms and ifosfamide-dose per cycle (HR =0.51, 95% CI = 0.27-0.94, p = 0.030) and creatinine clearance (Ccr) (HR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.28-1.00, p = 0.050). In contrast, neither serum albumin nor total bilirubin was a significant risk factor for neuropsychiatric symptoms. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that ALBI score may be a useful biomarker for predicting neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients receiving ifosfamide-based chemotherapy.

[Development of Photocatalysts-Coated Polyethylene Terephthalate Film for Degradation and Elimination of Chemotherapy Drugs].

Prolonged exposure to anticancer drugs can lead to health damage in medical professionals as well as in patients and their families, and can be a serious issue. The risk of occupational acute exposure to anticancer drugs in medical professionals has largely been reduced following the establishment of guidelines for safe handling of hazardous drugs. However, the problem of pollution associated with residual anticancer drugs attached to the surface of floors and walls in the prescription laboratory, treatment room and the lavatory remains unsolved. We have recently developed a polyethylene terephthalate(PET) film coated with photocatalysts such as titanium dioxide and tungsten oxide. In the present study, the ability of the PET film to degrade anticancer drugs was tested by dripping anticancer drug solution on to the surface of the film followed by irradiation with LED light. The contents of several anticancer drugs, including 5-fluorouracil, cyclophosphamide, and cisplatin, were greatly reduced after 24 hr irradiation. Therefore, the present photocatalysts-coated PET film may become a useful tool to reduce the risk for exposure to hazardous agents including anticancer drugs.

Frustrated Lewis Pair Chelation as a Vehicle for Low-Temperature Semiconductor Element and Polymer Deposition.

The stabilization of silicon(II) and germanium(II) dihydrides by an intramolecular Frustrated Lewis Pair (FLP) ligand, PB, i Pr2 P(C6 H4 )BCy2 (Cy=cyclohexyl) is reported. The resulting hydride complexes [PB{SiH2 }] and [PB{GeH2 }] are indefinitely stable at room temperature, yet can deposit films of silicon and germanium, respectively, upon mild thermolysis in solution. Hallmarks of this work include: 1) the ability to recycle the FLP phosphine-borane ligand (PB) after element deposition, and 2) the single-source precursor [PB{SiH2 }] deposits Si films at a record low temperature from solution (110 °C). The dialkylsilicon(II) adduct [PB{SiMe2 }] was also prepared, and shown to release poly(dimethylsilane) [SiMe2 ]n upon heating. Overall, this study introduces a "closed loop" deposition strategy for semiconductors that steers materials science away from the use of harsh reagents or high temperatures.

Role of dynamic nuclear deformation on genomic architecture reorganization.

Higher-order genomic architecture varies according to cell type and changes dramatically during differentiation. One of the remarkable examples of spatial genomic reorganization is the rod photoreceptor cell differentiation in nocturnal mammals. The inverted nuclear architecture found in adult mouse rod cells is formed through the reorganization of the conventional architecture during terminal differentiation. However, the mechanisms underlying these changes remain largely unknown. Here, we found that the dynamic deformation of nuclei via actomyosin-mediated contractility contributes to chromocenter clustering and promotes genomic architecture reorganization during differentiation by conducting an in cellulo experiment coupled with phase-field modeling. Similar patterns of dynamic deformation of the nucleus and a concomitant migration of the nuclear content were also observed in rod cells derived from the developing mouse retina. These results indicate that the common phenomenon of dynamic nuclear deformation, which accompanies dynamic cell behavior, can be a universal mechanism for spatiotemporal genomic reorganization.

Clonality investigation of clinical Escherichia coli isolates by polymerase chain reaction-based open-reading frame typing method.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) causes urinary tract infections, pneumonia, surgical site infections, and bloodstream infections and is the important pathogen for both community-acquired and healthcare-associated infections. To investigate the clonality of E. coli is important for infection control and prevention. We aimed to investigate the clonality of clinical E. coli isolates using Cica Geneus E. coli polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based open-reading frame typing (POT) KIT and clarify the clinical usefulness of this kit. About 124 E. coli isolates obtained from inpatients at Sapporo Medical University Hospital were used. The POT method was used to classify 124 clinical isolates into 87 POT numbers. In addition to the clonality, it was possible to obtain additional information that 20 of the 124 isolates were extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL) producing E. coli (5 isolates of CTX-M-1 group and 15 isolates of CTX-M-9 group) and 13 were sequence type (ST) 131 clone. Furthermore, when these ESBL-producing 20 isolates were compared with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) or multilocus sequence typing (MLST), Simpson's index of diversity was 0.968 in POT method, 0.979 in PFGE, and 0.584 in MLST. POT method had an analytical power similar to that of PFGE. In conclusion, attention should be paid to the difference in the interpretation of the results between the POT method and the PFGE, but POT method may be useful to timely monitor the spread of E. coli in medical facilities.