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Soft materials that exhibit stimuli-responsive behaviour under aqueous conditions (such as supramolecular hydrogels composed of self-assembled nanofibres) have many potential biological applications. However, designing a macroscopic response to structurally complex biochemical stimuli in these materials still remains a challenge. Here we show that redox-responsive peptide-based hydrogels have the ability to encapsulate enzymes and still retain their activities. Moreover, cooperative coupling of enzymatic reactions with the gel response enables us to construct unique stimuli-responsive soft materials capable of sensing a variety of disease-related biomarkers. The programmable gel–sol response (even to biological samples) is visible to the naked eye. Furthermore, we built Boolean logic gates (OR and AND) into the hydrogel–enzyme hybrid materials, which were able to sense simultaneously plural specific biochemicals and execute a controlled drug release in accordance with the logic operation. The intelligent soft materials that we have developed may prove valuable in future medical diagnostics or treatments. Soft materials that can undergo a macroscopic change in response to external stimuli may prove useful for a range of biological applications. Now, it has been shown that hydrogels encapsulating active enzymes can undergo a gel–sol transition in the presence of a range of small-molecule triggers and can potentially be used as sensors or drug-delivery systems.

Self-sorted supramolecular nanofibres—a multicomponent system that consists of several types of fibre, each composed of distinct building units—play a crucial role in complex, well-organized systems with sophisticated functions, such as living cells. Designing and controlling self-sorting events in synthetic materials and understanding their structures and dynamics in detail are important elements in developing functional artificial systems. Here, we describe the in situ real-time imaging of self-sorted supramolecular nanofibre hydrogels consisting of a peptide gelator and an amphiphilic phosphate. The use of appropriate fluorescent probes enabled the visualization of self-sorted fibres entangled in two and three dimensions through confocal laser scanning microscopy and super-resolution imaging, with 80 nm resolution. In situ time-lapse imaging showed that the two types of fibre have different formation rates and that their respective physicochemical properties remain intact in the gel. Moreover, we directly visualized stochastic non-synchronous fibre formation and observed a cooperative mechanism. Designing self-sorting events, and understanding their dynamics, in synthetic supramolecular assembly is a promising route towards complex, functional artificial systems. The formation of self-sorted supramolecular nanofibres has now been imaged in situ , in real time, by confocal laser microscopy. A stochastic, non-synchronous fibre formation through a cooperative mechanism was observed.

This paper estimates the effects of school closure on students’ study time and the number of messages sent from teachers to students using an online learning service. We find that both study time and message numbers increased significantly from the beginning of the school closure but they returned to pre-COVID-19 levels when the state of emergency ended in late May 2020. In addition, we find that students with prior access to the online learning service at home and students at higher-quality schools increased their study time more than other students. However, we find no gender differences in these outcomes.

Nucleic acids have been actively applied to various sensing tools and future biodevices because of their high biocompatibility, as well as their programmable properties and functions. In this review, selected nucleic acid-based fluorescent sensors were introduced as powerful tools for exploring intracellular phenomena. Sensing systems in which readable fluorescence signals can be selectively “turned on” in the presence of target analytes are desired to obtain valuable biological information, including intracellular processes in living cells. In this context, we described the representative fluorescent signal generation mechanisms of the selected nucleic acid-based fluorescent sensors, including molecular beacon and quencher-free linear probes, as well as aptamer- and DNAzyme-based systems. In addition, recent examples of signal amplification systems for detecting small amounts of target analytes under isothermal conditions were highlighted.In this review, we overview the recent advances associated with seminal findings in the development of nucleic acid-based fluorescent sensor systems aimed at application for exploring intracellular phenomena. We described the fluorescence signal generation mechanisms of each nucleic acid-based fluorescent sensor, including molecular beacon and quencher-free linear probes, as well as aptamer or DNAzyme-based systems. In addition, cascade hybridization chain reaction and catalyzed hairpin assembly are introduced as methods for amplifying fluorescence signals under isothermal conditions.

Various biofunctional hydrogel materials can be fabricated in aqueous media through the self-assembly of peptide derivatives, forming supramolecular nanostructures and their three-dimensional networks. In this study, we describe the self-assembly of new Fmoc-dipeptides comprising α-methyl-L-phenylalanine. We found that the position and number of methyl groups introduced onto the α carbons of the Fmoc-dipeptides by α-methyl-L-phenylalanine have a marked influence on the morphology of the supramolecular nanostructure as well as the hydrogel (network) formation ability.This article describes the self-assembly of Fmoc-dipeptides comprising α-methyl-L-phenylalanine. The position and number of methyl groups introduced onto the α carbons of the Fmoc-dipeptides as α-methyl-L-phenylalanine have a marked influence on the morphology of supramolecular nanostructures and the hydrogel formation ability.

BackgroundTubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN) is an important cause of acute kidney injury (AKI) and advanced CKD. Only a limited number of studies have reported etiology-based differences in the clinical and/or histopathological properties and kidney outcomes of the biopsy-proven TIN.MethodsPatients with biopsy-proven TIN identified from 2005 to 2016 in five hospitals were categorized based on the etiologies and were retrospectively analyzed in relation to the clinicopathological findings and kidney outcomes.ResultsAmong 4815 biopsy cases screened, 153 Japanese TIN patients were identified, of whom 139 patients with ≥ 6 months of follow-up data (median 58 years old, 45.3% female, median 31.5 months follow-up) were further analyzed. TIN was drug-induced in 32.4%, autoimmune-related in 24.5%, of unknown etiology in 27.3% and other disease-related in 15.8%. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics were major causative drugs in drug-induced TIN, and IgG4-related disease, Sjögren’s syndrome and sarcoidosis were common in autoimmune-related TIN. Among etiology groups, drug-induced TIN showed advanced AKI with elevated serum creatinine (sCr) and increased C-reactive protein levels at the diagnosis. TIN patients with autoimmune diseases showed less-severe AKI, but were more frequently treated with corticosteroids than others. Tubulointerstitial injury expansion in biopsy specimens was comparable among the groups. Complete or partial kidney function recovery at 6 months was more frequent in drug-induced and autoimmune-related TIN than in others. sCr levels at 6 months were similar among the groups.ConclusionsThis largest case series study of the biopsy-proven TIN in Japan provides detailed information regarding both etiology-based clinicopathological properties and kidney outcomes.

The thermal performance of a double-skin façade in Japan’s first mid-rise purely wooden fire- resistant building was evaluated through a year-long field survey. In October, the solar heat gain coefficient for the entire window was measured at 0.46 with the blinds open and 0.11 when the blinds were closed. The design featured a wooden frame structure with a large volume and an offset inner skin layer, which helped shade the inner glazing from May to August. The wooden columns and beams exhibited high thermal performance even without thermal insulation, with a thermal transmittance of 0.22 W/(m²·K), accounting for the effects of the double-skin layer. In contrast, the single-skin façade on the 8th floor, made of Low-E double glazing, had a thermal transmittance of 1.85 W/(m²·K). The overall thermal transmittance for the whole window of the double-skin façade on the 4th floor was recorded at 1.66 W/(m²·K).

Eight peaks of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak occurred in Japan, each associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern. The National Epidemiological Surveillance of Infectious Diseases (NESID) analyzed viral genome sequences from symptomatic patients and submitted the results to GISAID. Meanwhile, commercial testing services occasionally sequence samples from asymptomatic individuals. We compared a total of 1248 SARS-CoV-2 full-genome sequences obtained from the SB Coronavirus Inspection Center Corp. (SBCVIC) during Japan’s seventh wave, which was dominated by Omicron variants, with 1764 sequences obtained in Japan from GISAID during the same period using chronological phylogenies and molecular transmission networks. The number of SBCVIC sequences was consistent with the number of cases reported by NESID. The SBCVIC detected a shift in the PANGO lineage from BA.2 to BA.5 earlier than that of GISAID. BA.2 lineages from the SBCVIC were distributed at different locations in the transmission network dominated by GISAID entries, whereas BA.5 lineages from SBCVIC and GISAID often formed distinct subclusters. Test-based sentinel surveillance of asymptomatic individuals may be a more manageable approach compared to notifiable disease surveillance; however, it may not necessarily capture all infection populations throughout Japan.