a b s t r a c tLeucine-rich repeat and fibronectin type III domain-containing (LRFN) family proteins are thought to be neuronal-specific proteins that play essential roles in neurite outgrowth and synapse formation. Here, we focused on expression and function of LRFN4, the fourth member of the LRFN family, in non-neural tissues. We found that LRFN4 was expressed in a wide variety of cancer and leukemia cell lines. We also found that expression of LRFN4 in the monocytic cell line THP-1 and in primary monocytes was upregulated following macrophage differentiation. Furthermore, we demonstrated that LRFN4 signaling regulated both the transendothelial migration of THP-1 cells and the elongation of THP-1 cells via actin cytoskeleton reorganization. Our data indicate that LRFN4 signaling plays an important role in the migration of monocytes/macrophages.

Objectives To develop a novel simple quantitative scoring model for predicting stone‐free status after a flexible ureteroscopy lithotripsy procedure by standardizing the complexity of ureteral stone characteristics. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 586 patients with renal or ureteral stones who underwent flexible ureteroscopy lithotripsy at Abiko Toho Hospital, Chiba, Japan, from 2015 to 2018. Multivariate regression was applied to examine the relationship between preoperative descriptors and stone‐free status, and a nomogram was developed using significant predictors. Next, the individual components of the nomogram were assigned points to form a simple scoring system. The predictive performance of this new scoring system was compared with the STONE score at optimal cut‐off values using receiver operating characteristic curve and area under the curve analyses. Results Multivariate logistic regression findings showed that factors associated with stone‐free status were length, Hounsfield unit and stone location. A nomogram prediction model was developed with an area under the curve value of 0.845, then consequently used to develop a new simple score system termed the T.O.HO. score consisting of three stone characteristics: (T)allness (1–5 points), (O)ccupied lesion (1–3 points) and (HO)unsfield units evaluation (1–3 points). The T.O.HO. score was significantly higher in stone remaining (7.66) than stone‐free (5.27; P < 0.001) cases. The area under the curve for the T.O.HO. score was 0.833 at an optimal cut‐off value of 7, whereas that for the STONE score was 0.683 at an optimal cut‐off value of 9, showing the superiority of this new scoring system. Conclusion The T.O.HO. score is a useful tool for predicting stone‐free status in patients who have undergone a flexible ureteroscopy lithotripsy procedure.

We have investigated the influence of the high centrifugal pressure caused by fast magic-angle spinning (MAS) on the molecular motion of styrene-butadiene rubbers (SBR) filled with SiO 2 (SBR/Si composite) though solid-state magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic Resonance ( 1 H MAS NMR) measurements. Because the 1 H-1 H dipolar interaction of elastomers is weak compared with that of glassy polymers, a narrower 1 H linewidth is observed under fast MAS. The temperature dependence of the 1 H spin-lattice relaxation time (T 1 H ) revealed that the T 1 H minimum increases with the MAS rate. Furthermore, we observed a difference in the temperature dependence of T 1 H between end-chain-modified SBR and normal (unmodified) SBR in the SBR/Si composites. The temperature dependence of T 1 H is described by the Bloembergen-Purcell-Pound theory, with the assumption that the correlation time obeys the Williams-Landel-Ferry empirical theory. The fitting showed that the molecular motion does not change significantly until a MAS rate of 20 kHz, with the motional mode changing considerably at a MAS rate of 25 kHz. The motion of SBR in the unmodified SBR/Si composite was greatly affected by the fast MAS rates. Furthermore, the plot of the estimated centrifugal pressure versus the T 1 H minimum resembled the stress-strain curve. This result enables the detection of macroscopic physical deformation by the microscopic parameter INTRODUCTIONSolid-state NMR is useful for the investigation of the molecular motion of the functional groups of elastomers and polymers. In particular, the recent development of the magic-angle spinning (MAS) technique allows a sample rotor to be spun much faster than 20 kHz. Thus, we can detect the high-resolution 1 H signals of rubbers and elastomers under the fast rates that are possible in MAS because these fast MAS rates effectively reduce the signal broadening that arises from the relatively weak 1 H-1 H dipolar interaction of elastomers (in comparison with that of glassy solid polymers).Generally, spin-lattice relaxation time (T 1 ) is observed to study molecular motion. In the case of rare spins such as 13 C, however, it is time-consuming to observe the signals and measure an accurate T 1 with a good signal-to-noise ratio. In contrast, proton signals are intense enough to allow quick analysis of molecular motion through the T 1 measurement. However, for a glassy solid polymer, the strong 1 H-1 H dipolar interaction obscures the individual functional group signals, even with fast MAS. For rubbers and elastomers under fast MAS, in contrast, each peak assigned to a respective functional group can be detected because of the weak 1 H-1 H dipolar interaction. Furthermore, it is easy to detect 1 H-T 1 ( 1 H spin-lattice relaxation time (T 1 H )) accurately. In contrast, it is well known that MAS causes the temperature of the inner sample to increase because of friction between the MAS and the air. In addition, it has recently been reported that fast MAS causes

In 1999

No abstract