Properties of Magnetic Garnet Films for Flexible Magneto-Optical Indicators Fabricated by Spin-Coating Method.

Non-destructive testing using a magneto-optical effect is a high-resolution non-destructive inspection technique for a metallic structure. It is able to provide high-spatial resolution images of defects. Previously, it has been difficult to fabricate flexible magneto-optical sensors because thermal treatment is necessary to crystallize the magnetic garnet. Therefore, it was not possible to apply magneto-optical imaging to complicated shapes in a test subject, such as a curved surface. In this study, we developed a new process for deposition of the magnetic garnet on the flexible substrate by applying the magnetic garnet powders that have already undergone crystallization. In this new process, as it does not require thermal treatment after deposition, flexible substrates with low heat resistance can be used. In this paper, we report our observations of the optical properties, magnetic hysteresis loop, crystallizability and density of the particles on the flexible substrate deposited by the spin-coating method.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Unknown Primary: Multiple Skeletal Metastases Without Detectable Visceral Lesions.

The appropriate diagnosis of carcinoma of unknown primary can be challenging for physicians, especially when they cannot apply a logical and ordered diagnostic process due to the unorthodox clinical characteristics. Here, we report the case of a 75-year-old woman presenting with multiple skeletal metastases with neither detectable visceral lesions nor site-specific distribution. Histological examination of a skeletal biopsy specimen unexpectedly revealed squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Further specialized investigations led to the diagnosis of SCC of unknown primary. This case highlights the difficulty of the clinical differential diagnostic process in the quest for the occult primary tumor site.

Effects of the sliaa9 Mutation on Shoot Elongation Growth of Tomato Cultivars.

Tomato INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID9 (SlIAA9) is a transcriptional repressor in auxin signal transduction, and SlIAA9 knockout tomato plants develop parthenocarpic fruits without fertilization. We generated sliaa9 mutants with parthenocarpy in several commercial tomato cultivars (Moneymaker, Rio Grande, and Ailsa Craig) using CRISPR-Cas9, and null-segregant lines in the T1 generation were isolated by self-pollination, which was confirmed by PCR and Southern blot analysis. We then estimated shoot growth phenotypes of the mutant plants under different light (low and normal) conditions. The shoot length of sliaa9 plants in Moneymaker and Rio Grande was smaller than those of wild-type cultivars in low light conditions, whereas there was not clear difference between the mutant of Ailsa Craig and the wild-type under both light conditions. Furthermore, young seedlings in Rio Grande exhibited shade avoidance response in hypocotyl growth, in which the hypocotyl lengths were increased in low light conditions, and sliaa9 mutant seedlings of Ailsa Craig exhibited enhanced responses in this phenotype. Fruit production and growth rates were similar among the sliaa9 mutant tomato cultivars. These results suggest that control mechanisms involved in the interaction of AUX/IAA9 and lights condition in elongation growth differ among commercial tomato cultivars.

Conversion hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma with main portal vein tumour thrombus after lenvatinib treatment: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accompanied by portal vein tumour thrombus (PVTT) presents an aggressive disease course, worsening liver function reserve, and a high recurrence rate. Clinical practice guidelines recommend systemic therapy as the first-line option for HCC with portal invasion. However, to achieve longer survival in these patients, the treatment strategy should be concluded with removal of the tumour by locoregional therapy. We experienced a case of initially unresectable HCC with main PVTT converted to radical hepatectomy after lenvatinib treatment. CASE SUMMARY: A 59-year-old male with chronic hepatitis C infection visited our clinic as a regular post-surgery follow-up. Contrast-enhanced abdominal computed tomography revealed a liver mass diffusely located at the lateral segment with a massive PVTT extending from the umbilical portion to the main and contralateral third-order portal branches. With the diagnosis of unresectable HCC with Vp4 (main trunk/contralateral branch) PVTT, lenvatinib was started at 12 mg/d. The computed tomography taken 3 mo after starting lenvatinib showed regression of the PVTT, which had retreated to the contralateral first-order portal branch. He tolerated the full dose without major adverse effects. With cessation of lenvatinib for 7 d, radical left lobectomy and PVTT thrombectomy were conducted. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful. Microscopically, the primary lesion showed fibrotic changes, with moderately to poorly differentiated tumour cells surrounded by granulation tissues in some areas. The majority of the PVTT showed necrosis. He was alive without recurrence for 8 mo. CONCLUSION: This is the first case of HCC with Vp4 PVTT in which radical conversion hepatectomy was succeeded after lenvatinib treatment.

Genome editing in plants using CRISPR type I-D nuclease.

Genome editing in plants has advanced greatly by applying the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs)-Cas system, especially CRISPR-Cas9. However, CRISPR type I-the most abundant CRISPR system in bacteria-has not been exploited for plant genome modification. In type I CRISPR-Cas systems, e.g., type I-E, Cas3 nucleases degrade the target DNA in mammals. Here, we present a type I-D (TiD) CRISPR-Cas genome editing system in plants. TiD lacks the Cas3 nuclease domain; instead, Cas10d is the functional nuclease in vivo. TiD was active in targeted mutagenesis of tomato genomic DNA. The mutations generated by TiD differed from those of CRISPR/Cas9; both bi-directional long-range deletions and short indels mutations were detected in tomato cells. Furthermore, TiD can be used to efficiently generate bi-allelic mutant plants in the first generation. These findings indicate that TiD is a unique CRISPR system that can be used for genome engineering in plants.

FDG-PET/CT Demonstrates Splenic Angiosarcoma Bone Marrow Metastasis.

Some patients with splenic angiosarcoma initially manifest thrombocytopenia owing to hypersplenism or tumor-related bone marrow fibrosis. The diagnosis of bone marrow metastasis in patients with splenic angiosarcoma is challenging, as the presentation mimics idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura or primary myelofibrosis. Our case showed diffuse FDG uptake in the vertebral bodies, sacroiliac bone, humerus, femur, and clavicles. It was pathologically diagnosed as bone marrow metastasis of splenic angiosarcoma. We believe that the heterogeneous FDG accumulation in the bone marrow, although nonspecific, can be useful for the diagnosis of the bone marrow metastasis in patients with splenic angiosarcoma.

Late-onset Transthyretin (TTR)-familial Amyloid Polyneuropathy (FAP) with a Long Disease Duration from Non-endemic Areas in Japan.

We herein report the case of an 84-year-old woman with transthyretin (TTR) Val30Met-associated familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP-ATTR Val30Met), representing a very old case. The patient had muscle weakness and sensory disturbances in her extremities caused by severe peripheral neuropathy. She also had vitreous opacity and orthostatic hypotension, and pyrophosphate scintigraphy showed a myocardial accumulation. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed mucosal amyloid deposits, positive in anti-TTR antibody staining. A TTR gene analysis isolated the Val30Met mutation. More than a few cases of FAP-ATTR develop late, like our own, and their familial histories are often obscure in non-endemic areas, which might make a diagnosis difficult.

Efficient Multiplex Genome Editing Induces Precise, and Self-Ligated Type Mutations in Tomato Plants.

Several expression systems for multiple guide RNA (gRNAs) have been developed in the CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR associated protein 9) system to induce multiple-gene modifications in plants. Here, we evaluated mutation efficiencies in the tomato genome using multiplex CRISPR/Cas9 vectors consisting of various Cas9 expression promoters with multiple gRNA expression combinations. In transgenic tomato calli induced with these vectors, mutation patterns varied depending on the promoters used to express Cas9. By using the tomato ELONGATION FACTOR-1α (SlEF1α) promoter to drive Cas9, occurrence of various types of mutations with high efficiency was detected in the tomato genome. Furthermore, sequence analysis showed that the majority of mutations using the multiplex system with the SlEF1α promoter corresponded to specific mutation pattern of deletions produced by self-ligation at two target sites of CRISPR/Cas9 with low mosaic mutations. These results suggest that optimizing the Cas9 expression promoter used in CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutation improves multiplex genome editing, and could be used effectively to disrupt functional domains precisely in the tomato genome.

[Metachronous Development of Mantle Cell Lymphoma during Active Surveillance in a Patient with Stage I Testicular Cancer].

A 78-year-old man presented with swelling of para-aortic and left iliac lymph nodes (LNs). He had undergone left high orchiectomy 10 years ago. He was diagnosed with stage I seminoma, and was managed with active surveillance. Eight years later, the follow-up computed tomography (CT) revealed para-aortic LN swelling, but the patient refused further treatment. He complained of left lower extremity edema 10 years after orchiectomy. CT showed enlargement of both LNs, especially, diameter of left iliac lymph nodes was up to 9 cm. He was referred to our hospital. LDH was slightly increased to 261 IU/1, but α-fetoprotein, and total and free beta human chorionic gonadotropin were within normal limits. Results of pathological review of the testicular tumor was also seminoma. The treatment with etoposide and cisplatin (EP) was started under the diagnosis of late relapse of seminoma. However, CT after 1 course of EP showed no shrinkage of LN metastases. At this time, soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) was elevated up to 5,090 U/ml (normal range: 613 U/ml). Needle biopsy from pelvic LN was performed on suspicion of metachronous malignant lymphoma. The pathological diagnosis was mantle cell lymphoma. The patient was transferred to the department of hematology, and treated successfully with rituximab and bendamustine. When LN swelling is seen after long-term active surveillance, there is a possibility of late relapse. However, metachronous malignant lymphoma also should be considered in an elderly patient.

Validation of Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction with the IQ•SPECT System in Small-Heart Patients.

The IQ•SPECT system, which is equipped with multifocal collimators (SMARTZOOM) and uses ordered-subset conjugate gradient minimization as the reconstruction algorithm, reduces the acquisition time of myocardial perfusion imaging compared with conventional SPECT systems equipped with low-energy high-resolution collimators. We compared the IQ•SPECT system with a conventional SPECT system for estimating left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in patients with a small heart (end-systolic volume < 20 mL). Methods: The study consisted of 98 consecutive patients who underwent a 1-d stress-rest myocardial perfusion imaging study with a 99mTc-labeled agent for preoperative risk assessment. Data were reconstructed using filtered backprojection for conventional SPECT and ordered-subset conjugate gradient minimization for IQ•SPECT. End-systolic volume, end-diastolic volume, and LVEF were calculated using quantitative gated SPECT (QGS) and cardioREPO software. We compared the LVEF from gated myocardial perfusion SPECT to that from echocardiographic measurements. Results: End-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume, and LVEF as obtained from conventional SPECT, IQ•SPECT, and echocardiography showed a good to excellent correlation regardless of whether they were calculated using QGS or using cardioREPO. Although LVEF calculated using QGS significantly differed between conventional SPECT and IQ•SPECT (65.4% ± 13.8% vs. 68.4% ± 15.2%) (P = 0.0002), LVEF calculated using cardioREPO did not (69.5% ± 10.6% vs. 69.5% ± 11.0%). Likewise, although LVEF calculated using QGS significantly differed between conventional SPECT and IQ•SPECT (75.0 ± 9.6 vs. 79.5 ± 8.3) (P = 0.0005), LVEF calculated using cardioREPO did not (72.3% ± 9.0% vs. 74.3% ± 8.3%). Conclusion: In small-heart patients, the difference in LVEF between IQ•SPECT and conventional SPECT was less when calculated using cardioREPO than when calculated using QGS.