Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Kevin Peng, Yongsheng Gao, Pavimol Angsantikul, Anthony LaBarbiera, Morgan Goetz, Alexander M. Curreri, Danika Rodrigues, Eden E. L. Tanner, Samir Mitragotri
Summary: Studies have shown that choline-based ionic liquids can significantly enhance the absorption of macromolecular drugs in the gastrointestinal tract by reducing drug interactions with mucus or disrupting the mucus layer, potentially improving the success rate of oral drug delivery.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Laurie Stevens, Sophie de Buyl, Bortolo Matteo Mognetti
Summary: Influenza A virus infection relies on the action of the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) membrane proteins. The HA ligands anchor the virus to the cell's surface by binding to sialic acid (SA) present on the host's receptors, while NA is an enzyme that cleaves SA from the extracellular environment. The activity of NA ligands is believed to increase the motility of the virus and favor the spread of infection.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ziva Lengar, Katja Klun, Iztok Dogsa, Ana Rotter, David Stopar
Summary: The study demonstrates that jellyfish mucus can efficiently sequester polystyrene microplastics particles in aqueous environments. Freshly prepared mucus showed the highest removal efficiency, while hydrolyzed mucus lost its ability to trap microplastics. This suggests that intact jellyfish mucus has the potential to be used as a biopolymer for removing microplastics material.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Vera Plekhova, Ellen De Paepe, Katrien Van Renterghem, Myriam Van Winckel, Lieselot Y. Hemeryck, Lynn Vanhaecke
Summary: Research on Hirschsprung's disease patients found significant differences in fecal metabolome, with specific metabolites characteristic for patients with HAEC and long segment HD. Pathway analysis revealed the most impact on amino sugar, lysine, sialic acid metabolism in HD patients.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Virology
Louisa E. Wallace, Erik de Vries, Frank J. M. van Kuppeveld, Cornelis A. M. de Haan
Summary: This study systematically analyzed the role of sialoglycan-cleaving neuraminidase (NA) in viral entry in relation to sialoglycan-binding hemagglutinin (HA) receptor-binding preference, the receptor repertoire displayed on cells, and the presence of mucus decoy receptors. It was found that the dependency on NA activity for influenza A virus (IAV) entry largely depends on HA, with a2-6 sialoglycan-binding viruses being more inhibited by NA inhibitor than a2-3 sialoglycan-preferring viruses. The results indicate that the receptor-binding properties of HA in combination with the receptor repertoire present on cells determine the dependency of IAV on NA activity for entry.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Ann Kathrin Ahrens, Hans-Christoph Selinka, Claudia Wylezich, Hubert Wonnemann, Ole Sindt, Hartmut H. H. Hellmer, Florian Pfaff, Dirk Hoeper, Thomas C. C. Mettenleiter, Martin Beer, Timm C. C. Harder
Summary: Avian influenza viruses (AIV) have a wide host range and can occasionally be transmitted to humans. Surface water plays a crucial role in AIV epidemiology as it serves as a reservoir in aquatic wild birds. However, environmental samples often have low virus loads, making further subtype and pathotype testing difficult. Passive surveillance based on oral and cloacal swabs of diseased and dead wild birds remains the most sensitive method.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
Janni Stovring Mortensen, Duc Ninh Nguyen, Hanne Morck Nielsen, Stine Ronholt
Summary: Early intervention and short-duration antibiotics treatment in premature infants can reduce the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), but it is unclear how antibiotics exposure and route of administration affect the disease risk. This study investigated the effects of ampicillin and gentamicin administered through parenteral or a combination of enteral and parenteral routes on the barrier properties of intestinal mucosa and mucus in preterm piglets. Results showed that permeation through mucosa and mucus was reduced in parenterally treated piglets compared to untreated piglets, while treatments with both routes showed similar permeation to untreated piglets. Rheological measurements also showed changes in mucus properties.
DRUG DELIVERY AND TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Liu Liu, Chunling Tian, Baoqi Dong, Mengqiu Xia, Ye Cai, Rongfeng Hu, Xiaoqin Chu
Summary: Mucus is widely present in various parts of the human body to prevent the invasion of pathogens. Through continuous secretion of mucus, inflammation can be reduced, and the passage of macromolecules can be blocked. Studying the composition and barrier properties of mucus is crucial in enhancing drug bioavailability.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Valeria Cagno, Chiara Medaglia, Andreas Cerny, Thomas Cerny, Arnaud Charles-Antoine Zwygart, Erich Cerny, Caroline Tapparel
Summary: Methylene blue demonstrates virucidal activity against influenza virus H1N1 and SARS-CoV-2 at low micromolar concentrations even in the absence of UV-activation. Its antiviral activity is based on multiple mechanisms, including higher genomic RNA degradation under light exposure and prolonged incubation. Further clinical studies are recommended to confirm its preventive and therapeutic efficacy.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Deronisha Arceneaux, Zhengyi Chen, Alan J. Simmons, Cody N. Heiser, Austin N. Southard-Smith, Michael J. Brenan, Yilin Yang, Bob Chen, Yanwen Xu, Eunyoung Choi, Joshua D. Campbell, Qi Liu, Ken S. Lau
Summary: Through controlled experiments, improvements in various parameters such as cell fixation, cell loading, microfluidic dilution, and nuclei versus cell preparation are reported to minimize ambient contamination in droplet-based single-cell RNA-seq data. This study provides insights and metrics for optimizing and assessing data quality.
Article
Microbiology
Ryosuke Matsuura, Arisa Kawamura, Yasunobu Matsumoto, Yoshiki Iida, Masanori Kanayama, Masahiko Kurokawa, Yoko Aida
Summary: Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg) is a natural antiviral agent that can inhibit various viruses. By combining EGCg with cyclodextrin (CD-EGCg), its stability and antiviral effect are enhanced. CD-EGCg effectively inhibits different viruses, especially during the adsorption step.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Masahiro Urushidani, Akira Kawayoshi, Tomohiro Kotaki, Keiichi Saeki, Yasuko Mori, Masanori Kameoka
Summary: This study attempted to inactivate SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A virus adhering to environmental surfaces using dry fogging with hypochlorous acid solution and hydrogen peroxide solution. The results showed that SARS-CoV-2 was more resistant to the virucidal effects of these disinfectants than influenza A virus, requiring higher concentrations or longer contact times for inactivation.
Article
Immunology
Risa Bandou, Ryohei Hirose, Takaaki Nakaya, Hajime Miyazaki, Naoto Watanabe, Takuma Yoshida, Tomo Daidoji, Yoshito Itoh, Hiroshi Ikegaya
Summary: Research has shown that the H5N1 subtype of avian influenza virus has a longer survival time on human skin, is less affected by low ethanol concentration, and can develop resistance to ethanol. These findings indicate a higher risk of contact transmission with the H5N1 subtype.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nobuo Okahashi, Tomoko Sumitomo, Masanobu Nakata, Hirotaka Kuwata, Shigetada Kawabata
Summary: Mitis group streptococci in the oral cavity can inactivate influenza A virus (IAV) through the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The combination of mildly acidic pH and low concentrations of H2O2 is effective in inactivating IAV.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Miryam Amigo-Benavent, Richard J. FitzGerald
Summary: This study investigated the impact of thermal treatments on whey protein concentrate hydrolysates, revealing that thermal inactivation methods can alter the apparent viscosity and gelation temperature, highlighting the need for careful selection of thermal treatment conditions.
FOOD HYDROCOLLOIDS
(2022)
Article
Virology
Tomo Daidoji, Junichi Kajikawa, Yasuha Arai, Yohei Watanabe, Ryohei Hirose, Takaaki Nakaya
Correction
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hayato Miyake, Junichi Sakagami, Hiroaki Yasuda, Yoshio Sogame, Ryusuke Kato, Kanetoshi Suwa, Katsuyuki Dainaka, Tomoki Takata, Isao Yokota, Yoshito Itoh
Article
Virology
Yasuha Arai, Norihito Kawashita, Emad Mohamed Elgendy, Madiha Salah Ibrahim, Tomo Daidoji, Takao Ono, Tatsuya Takagi, Takaaki Nakaya, Kazuhiko Matsumoto, Yohei Watanabe
Summary: This study identified novel clade 2.2.1 virus polymerase mutations that increased viral replication in human cells by analyzing phylogeny-associated PA mutations. These mutations, along with the PB2-E627K substitution, enhanced replication in contemporary clade 2.2.1.2 viruses compared to ancestral clade 2.2.1 viruses, indicating a higher public health risk for humans.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Ken Kamata, Reiko Ashida, Satoru Yasukawa, Yasutaka Chiba, Nobuyasu Fukutake, Hiroko Nebiki, Akira Kurita, Makoto Takaoka, Takeshi Ogura, Hideyuki Shiomi, Masanori Asada, Hiroaki Yasuda, Minoru Shigekawa, Akio Yanagisawa, Masatoshi Kudo, Masayuki Kitano
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Naohisa Yoshida, Ken Inoue, Yuri Tomita, Reo Kobayashi, Hikaru Hashimoto, Satoshi Sugino, Ryohei Hirose, Osamu Dohi, Hiroaki Yasuda, Yukiko Morinaga, Yutaka Inada, Takaaki Murakami, Xin Zhu, Yoshito Itoh
Summary: The study evaluated the functionality of CAD EYE in recognizing and diagnosing colorectal polyp lesions. Results showed that CAD EYE had high detection rates under both normal and high-speed observation, and also had high accuracy in distinguishing neoplastic and hyperplastic lesions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COLORECTAL DISEASE
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Emad Mohamed Elgendy, Yasuha Arai, Norihito Kawashita, Ayana Isobe, Tomo Daidoji, Madiha Salah Ibrahim, Takao Ono, Tatsuya Takagi, Takaaki Nakaya, Kazuhiko Matsumoto, Yohei Watanabe
Summary: The study identified unique human adaptation mutations in the currently prevalent H9N2 genotype S strains, which may have contributed to the recent surge in infections. Several PB2 double mutations cooperatively enhance the human adaptation of these viruses.
JOURNAL OF GENERAL VIROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Virology
Tomo Daidoji, Ronald Enrique Morales Vargas, Katsuro Hagiwara, Yasuha Arai, Yohei Watanabe, Keisuke Nishioka, Fumi Murakoshi, Kotaro Garan, Hiroki Sadakane, Takaaki Nakaya
Summary: Flaviviruses are arboviruses carried by arthropods and/or vertebrates, and a novel group called insect-specific flaviviruses has been identified. While not directly harmful to human health, these insect-specific flaviviruses can affect the replication of other human-pathogenic flaviviruses within co-infected mosquito cells. Understanding the prevalence of flaviviruses in arthropods is crucial to assessing disease risks and ecology. The development of a universal primer for PCR-based detection of flaviviruses has shown promising results in amplifying viral sequences and detecting genomes in infected cells and mosquito homogenates, providing a valuable tool for public health and safety.
Article
Oncology
Naoto Iwai, Takashi Okuda, Kohei Oka, Junichi Sakagami, Taishi Harada, Tomoya Ohara, Chie Hattori, Masashi Taniguchi, Hiroaki Sakai, Tasuku Hara, Toshifumi Tsuji, Toshiyuki Komaki, Keizo Kagawa, Osamu Dohi, Hiroaki Yasuda, Yoshito Itoh
Summary: In patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer, the decrease in PMI during chemotherapy, rather than the PMI at diagnosis, was found to be a significant prognostic factor affecting overall survival.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yasuha Arai, Itaru Yamanaka, Toru Okamoto, Ayana Isobe, Naomi Nakai, Naoko Kamimura, Tatsuya Suzuki, Tomo Daidoji, Takao Ono, Takaaki Nakaya, Kazuhiko Matsumoto, Daisuke Okuzaki, Yohei Watanabe
Summary: Patients with severe COVID-19 exhibit elevated levels of cytokines and delayed interferon response. The study finds that SARS-CoV-2 generates excessive small viral RNAs encoding the 50 ends of positive-sense genes, which can stimulate the immune response. It suggests that RIG-I activation by accumulated SARS-CoV-2 50 end svRNAs may contribute to over-exuberant IFN production and the weaker immune response in less pathogenic coronaviruses may be due to lower svRNA production during replication.
Article
Biology
Ayana Isobe, Yasuha Arai, Daisuke Kuroda, Nobuaki Okumura, Takao Ono, Shota Ushiba, Shin-ichi Nakakita, Tomo Daidoji, Yasuo Suzuki, Takaaki Nakaya, Kazuhiko Matsumoto, Yohei Watanabe
Summary: This study investigates the importance of ACE2 glycosylation in the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 virus and ACE2 receptor. The findings demonstrate that the deletion of glycosylation sites results in significant changes in the interaction with spike protein and is consistent across viral variants.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biophysics
Yuka Oka, Shota Ushiba, Naruto Miyakawa, Madoka Nishio, Takao Ono, Yasushi Kanai, Yohei Watanabe, Shinsuke Tani, Masahiko Kimura, Kazuhiko Matsumoto
Summary: C-reactive protein (CRP) is an important biomarker that is used to detect infection and inflammation. The interaction between CRP and anti-CRP antibodies is affected by the pH and ionic strength of the environment. This study investigated the efficiency of these interactions at different pHs and ionic strengths. The results showed that the affinity between CRP and anti-CRP antibodies was insensitive to pH changes but significantly sensitive to ionic strength changes. Lower ionic strength led to a decrease in binding affinity. These findings provide insights for designing highly sensitive CRP sensors.
BIOPHYSICS AND PHYSICOBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Ken Kamata, Akira Kurita, Satoru Yasukawa, Yasutaka Chiba, Hiroko Nebiki, Masanori Asada, Hiroaki Yasuda, Hideyuki Shiomi, Takeshi Ogura, Makoto Takaoka, Noriyuki Hoki, Reiko Ashida, Minoru Shigekawa, Akio Yanagisawa, Masatoshi Kudo, Masayuki Kitano
Summary: This study showed that EUS-FNB using a 20G needle with a core trap is feasible for diagnosing g-SMT, with high technical success rate and adequacy for histological evaluation. EUS-FNB demonstrated high accuracy in histological diagnosis of GIST.
ENDOSCOPIC ULTRASOUND
(2021)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Makoto Tanaka, Tomohisa Takagi, Yuji Naito, Kazuhiko Uchiyama, Yuma Hotta, Yuki Toyokawa, Saori Kashiwagi, Kazuhiro Kamada, Takeshi Ishikawa, Hiroaki Yasuda, Hideyuki Konishi, Yoshito Itoh
Summary: This study aimed to identify predictors at admission that could predict early colectomy in patients with moderate to severe UC. Results revealed that low serum albumin level at admission was a significant independent predictor of colectomy, suggesting that patients with UC should be considered for surgical treatment if their serum albumin level is below 2.45 g/dL upon admission.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Naoto Iwai, Takashi Okuda, Junichi Sakagami, Taishi Harada, Tomoya Ohara, Masashi Taniguchi, Hiroaki Sakai, Kohei Oka, Tasuku Hara, Toshifumi Tsuji, Toshiyuki Komaki, Keizo Kagawa, Hiroaki Yasuda, Yuji Naito, Yoshito Itoh
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2020)
Meeting Abstract
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Takeshi Yasuda, Hiroaki Yasuda, Hiroki Eguchi, Yoshiya Takeda, Kunihiro Fushiki, Yuriko Onozawa, Masanobu Katayama, Motoo Tanaka, Masamichi Bamba, Tadashi Shigematsu
