Action-at-a-Distance Mutations Induced by the True Abasic Site, Uracil, and Nicks: Unexpectedly Lower Mutagenicity of the True Abasic Site.

A major oxidized base, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (G, 8-hydroxyguanine), is involved in cancer initiation. G induces untargeted base substitution (action-at-a-distance) mutations as well as targeted G→T transversions in human cells. Uracil also induces similar untargeted mutations.

Factors associated with withholding of invasive mechanical ventilation in the early phase of the COVID-19 response and their ethical analyses.

End-of-life decision making regarding invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) for patients with severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is challenging. We aimed to explore the factors associated with the withholding of IMV in patients with COVID-19. This retrospective study included patients registered in a nationwide COVID-19 Registry Japan.

Homology-arm length of donor DNA affects the impact of Msh2 loss on homologous recombination-mediated gene targeting.

Efficient targeted integration (TI) of homologous donor DNA is crucial for precise genome editing. Although mismatch repair (MMR) is known to suppress TI as well as homologous recombination (HR) when sequence divergence is present, it remains controversial as to whether MMR affects TI of isogenic donor DNA. In this study, we investigated whether and how the MMR protein Msh2 affects TI of isogenic donor DNA.

Molecular epidemiology and patient outcome of carbapenem-resistant and in Japan: a multicenter study from MultiDrug-Resistant organisms clinical research network.

Background And Objectives: Carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacilli (CRGNB), especially and , are critical pathogens associated with excess morbidity and mortality. To elucidate their molecular epidemiology and clinical outcomes in Japan, patients with CRGNB were enrolled in the MDR organisms clinical research network (MDRnet) consisting of eight tertiary care facilities.

Methods: Between 2019 and 2022, 246 unique patients with carbapenem-resistant (CRE), carbapenem-resistant (CRPA) and carbapenem-resistant (CRAB) isolates were prospectively enrolled.

NEIL1: The second DNA glycosylase involved in action-at-a-distance mutations induced by 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine.

8-Oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (G, 8-hydroxyguanine), an oxidatively damaged base, induces mutations and is involved in cancer initiation. In addition to G:C→T:A transversions at the damaged site, it causes untargeted base substitution (action-at-a-distance) mutations at the G bases of 5'-GpA-3' sites in human cells. Paradoxically, OGG1, a DNA glycosylase involved in the base excision repair (BER) pathway, enhances the action-at-a-distance mutations by G.

Untargeted Mutation Triggered by Ribonucleoside Embedded in DNA.

DNA polymerases frequently misincorporate ribonucleoside 5'-triphosphates into nascent DNA strands. This study examined the effects of an incorporated ribonucleoside on untargeted mutations in human cells. Riboguanosine (rG) was introduced into the downstream region of the gene to preferentially detect the untargeted mutations.

Effect of ultrafine CO2 bubbles on Euglena gracilis Z growth with CO2 gas bubble size and chlorophyll content.

Microalgae have been explored as a viable alternative food source. Among them, Euglena gracilis stands out as a promising single-cell algae. However, the challenge lies in developing more efficient and cost-effective methods for industrial mass production of E.

COVID-19 severity and corticosteroid treatment have minimal effect on specific antibody production.

Background: Dexamethasone is currently administered for Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19); however, there are concerns about its effect on specific antibodies' production. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether specific antibodies were affected by COVID-19 severity and corticosteroid treatment.

Methods: Of 251 confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted to our hospital between January 26 and August 10, 2020, the early period of the pandemic, 75 patients with sera within 1 month of onset and 1 month or longer were included in the research.

Inhibition of Uracil DNA Glycosylase Alters Frequency and Spectrum of Action-at-a-Distance Mutations Induced by 8-Oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine.

The generation of DNA damage causes mutations and consequently cancer. Reactive oxygen species are important sources of DNA damage and some mutation signatures found in human cancers. 8-Oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (G, 8-hydroxyguanine) is one of the most abundant oxidized bases and induces a G→T transversion mutation at the modified site.

Visualization of oxidized guanine nucleotides accumulation in living cells with split MutT.

Cancer cells produce vast quantities of reactive oxygen species, leading to the accumulation of toxic nucleotides as 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine 5'-triphosphate (8-oxo-dGTP). The human MTH1 protein catalyzes the hydrolysis of 8-oxo-dGTP, and cancer cells are dependent on MTH1 for their survival. MTH1 inhibitors are possible candidates for a class of anticancer drugs; however, a reliable screening system using live cells has not been developed.

Unfractionated Heparin Safety in COVID-19: Incidence and Risks of Bleeding Complications in Japan.

Aim: Several studies have shown the efficacy and safety of low-molecular-weight heparin use in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but that of unfractionated heparin (UFH) has not been investigated. We investigated the prevalence of bleeding complications during UFH administration, its impact on mortality, and the risk factors of bleeding outcomes associated with UFH.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at a single-center tertiary care hospital, including hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Efficacy and Safety of the Smallpox Vaccine for Postexposure Prophylaxis in Monkeypox: Protocol for an Open-Labeled, Single-Armed Study.

Background: In May 2022, a case of monkeypox (currently known as "mpox") with no history of overseas travel was reported in the United Kingdom, followed by reports of infections reported in Europe, the United States, and other countries worldwide. Due to the significant overlap in immune responses among viruses of the genus Orthopoxvirus (including smallpox virus, mpox virus, and vaccinia virus), it is believed that cross-immunity can be achieved by administering the smallpox virus vaccine. In Japan, a smallpox vaccine (LC16m8 strain vaccine) has been approved; however, there was no regulatory approval for the mpox vaccine during the design of this study.

Action-at-a-distance mutations induced by 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine are dependent on APOBEC3.

DNA oxidation is a serious threat to genome integrity and is involved in mutations and cancer initiation. The G base is most frequently damaged, and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (GO, 8-hydroxyguanine) is one of the predominant damaged bases. In human cells, GO causes a G:C→T:A transversion mutation at the modified site, and also induces untargeted substitution mutations at the G bases of 5'-GpA-3' dinucleotides (action-at-a-distance mutations).

Effect of denture adhesives on masticatory performance: Multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of denture adhesives on masticatory performance via a 10-center, parallel, randomized, controlled trial of complete denture wearers in Japan.

Methods: The trial was conducted between September 2013 and October 2016. The inclusion criteria were complete edentulism, willingness to undergo new complete denture treatment, and willingness to return for recall treatment.

Transcriptomic Interpretation on Explainable AI-Guided Intuition Uncovers Premonitory Reactions of Disordering Fate in Persimmon Fruit.

Deep neural network (DNN) techniques, as an advanced machine learning framework, have allowed various image diagnoses in plants, which often achieve better prediction performance than human experts in each specific field. Notwithstanding, in plant biology, the application of DNNs is still mostly limited to rapid and effective phenotyping. The recent development of explainable CNN frameworks has allowed visualization of the features in the prediction by a convolutional neural network (CNN), which potentially contributes to the understanding of physiological mechanisms in objective phenotypes.