Public Health.

Background: Pro-inflammatory diets have been associated with cognitive decline and dementia, but their impact on overall brain aging is unclear. We aimed to investigate the relationship between a pro-inflammatory diet and a machine learning-based measure of brain age, taking into account age, genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD), and systemic inflammation.

Method: From the UK Biobank, 21,473 participants aged 40-70 years and free of chronic brain diseases were included.

Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: Dementia is strongly linked to increased care use, but the use of formal and informal care throughout dementia journey remains unclear.

Method: Within a population-based cohort study, we identified 240 older adults (aged ≥78 years) with who developed CIND and 155 with incident dementia. These participants were matched to 480 and 310 cognitively intact participants, respectively, and their formal and informal care use and care hours were compared with a control groups before and after diagnosis of cognitive disorders.

Chloroplast arrangement in finger millet under low-temperature conditions.

Background: Finger millet, a C plant with mesophyll and bundle sheath cells, has been cultivated at high altitudes in the Himalayas owing to its adaptability to stressful environments. Under environmental stresses such as high light and drought, finger millet mesophyll chloroplasts move toward the bundle sheath, a phenomenon known as aggregative arrangement.

Methods: To investigate the effect of low temperatures on mesophyll chloroplast arrangement in finger millet, we conducted microscopic observations and photochemical measurements using leaves treated at different temperatures in light or darkness, with or without pharmacological inhibitors.

Hemodynamic Analysis Using 4D Flow MRI in a Case of Aortic Dissection With Aberrant Right Subclavian Artery.

Four-dimensional flow magnetic resonance imaging (4D flow MRI) was utilized to analyze an aortic dissection with an aberrant right subclavian artery, revealing vortex formation and an increased oscillatory shear index (OSI), both indicative of variations in wall shear stress. An elevated OSI has been associated with an elevated risk of aortic dissection.

Effectiveness of tacrolimus therapy in refractory ulcerative colitis compared to infliximab with propensity score matching.

There is insufficient evidence comparing the outcomes of tacrolimus-based remission induction therapy with infliximab in refractory ulcerative colitis (UC) and evidence regarding optimal strategies after tacrolimus-based remission induction therapy. We conducted a multi-institutional retrospective study of patients with UC treated with tacrolimus or infliximab between January 2010 and March 2019. The proportion of clinical remission at week 8 and cumulative colectomy-free rate were examined using propensity score matching analysis.

Nanobubbles and Fibroblast Growth: An In Vitro Study on Cell Migration and Proliferation.

Nanobubbles are studied for their unique properties and possible applications in wound healing processes. This study investigates the effects of hydrogen (H₂), oxygen (O₂), and ozone (O₃) nanobubbles on fibroblast migration and proliferation using  scratch wound healing assays. Fibroblast cells were treated with Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) combined with nanobubble solutions, and cell density was measured at 24 and 48 hours.

Influence of foveal glial tissue after macular hole surgery on outer retinal restoration and visual acuity.

Purpose: To investigate the impact of foveal glial tissue on the anatomical and functional results after macular hole (MH) surgery.

Methods: This study included 141 consecutive eyes that underwent successful vitrectomy for full-thickness MH between January 2015 and December 2022. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and the length of outer retinal defects were evaluated preoperatively and at 6 months postoperatively.

Absorption of acylated anthocyanins from purple yam extract in rats.

Purple yam (Dioscorea alata L.) is a tuber widely distributed in the tropics and subtropics. We previously isolated several acylated anthocyanins from purple yam.

The cytokinin efflux transporter ABCC4 participates in Arabidopsis root system development.

The directional and sequential flow of cytokinin in plants is organized by a complex network of transporters. Genes involved in several aspects of cytokinin transport have been characterized; however, much of the elaborate system remains elusive. In this study, we used a transient expression system in tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana) leaves to screen Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) transporter genes and isolated ATP-BINDING CASSETTE TRANSPORTER C4 (ABCC4).

Histochemical assessment of the femora of Spontaneously Diabetic Torii-Lepr (SDT-fa/fa) rats that mimic type II diabetes.

Objective: To elucidate the mechanisms underlying diabetic osteoporosis, we conducted a comprehensive histological examination of the femora of Spontaneously Diabetic Torii-Lepr (SDT-fa/fa) rats, an established model of obesity-related type 2 diabetes.

Materials And Methods: Femora from 12 30-week-old male SDT-fa/fa rats and age-matched Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats (controls) were used for detailed histochemical analyses, including tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), cathepsin K, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), phosphoethanolamine/ phosphocholine phosphatase 1 (PHOSPHO1), dentin matrix protein (DMP)-1, matrix extracellular phosphoglycoprotein (MEPE), sclerostin, osteocalcin staining, silver impregnation, von Kossa staining, and micro-computed tomography (CT).

Results: Micro-CT and hematoxylin-eosin staining demonstrated significantly reduced trabecular bone volume in the femoral metaphyses of SDT-fa/fa rats.

Supplementation of essential amino acids suppresses age-associated sleep loss and sleep fragmentation but not loss of rhythm strength under yeast-restricted malnutrition in Drosophila.

Sleep quality and quantity decrease with age, and sleep disturbance increases the risk of many age-associated diseases. There is a significant relationship between nutritional status and sleep outcomes, with malnutrition inducing poor sleep quality in older adults. However, it remains elusive whether, and if so how, nutritional supplementation prevents age-associated sleep problems.

Flow-diverting stents for the treatment of unruptured distal anterior cerebral artery aneurysms: analysis of the CRETA Registry.

Background: Data about the safety and the efficacy of flow diversion for distal anterior cerebral artery (DACA) aneurysms are limited. We present the largest multicenter analysis evaluating the outcomes of flow diversion in unruptured DACA aneurysm treatment.

Methods: Databases from 39 centers were retrospectively reviewed for unruptured DACA aneurysms treated with flow-diverting stents.

First-Principles Study on Formation Mechanism of Six-Coordinated Si in Silicophosphate Glass.

Six-coordinated Si (Si) structures are readily formed in silicophosphate glasses with high PO contents. Although experiments and simulations have provided some information on the local configurations around Si, further research on the formation mechanism of Si at the atomic scale is needed. To investigate the formation mechanism of Si, we performed dynamic and static analyses based on first-principles calculations.

Girdin deficiency causes developmental and epileptic encephalopathy with hippocampal sclerosis and interneuronopathy.

Objective: Loss-of-function mutations in the GIRDIN/CCDC88A gene cause developmental epileptic encephalopathy (DEE) in humans. However, its pathogenesis is largely unknown. Global knockout mice of the corresponding orthologous gene (gKOs) have a preweaning lethal phenotype with growth failure, preventing longitudinal analysis.

Aortoesophageal fistula 19 years after radiotherapy for oesophageal cancer: a case report.

Background: Aortoesophageal fistula (AEF) is a life-threatening disease that causes massive bleeding, sepsis, and ultimately death. Therefore, emergency treatments are required. Recently, cases of AEF treated with thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) have been reported.

A deep learning approach to predict differentiation outcomes in hypothalamic-pituitary organoids.

We use three-dimensional culture systems of human pluripotent stem cells for differentiation into pituitary organoids. Three-dimensional culture is inherently characterized by its ability to induce heterogeneous cell populations, making it difficult to maintain constant differentiation efficiency. That is why the culture process involves empirical aspects.

Immune-related adverse event detection in liver cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: Nationwide exploratory survey in Japan.

Aim: This study aimed to comprehensively assess the incidence of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) and the detection systems in place for patients with liver cancer undergoing treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), using a self-administered anonymous questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed to gather crucial insights into the management of irAEs in these patients.

Methods: A self-administered anonymous questionnaire was sent to 456 liver disease collaborative base hospitals and cancer care coordination base hospitals in Japan.

Selection of anti-cytokine biologics by pretreatment levels of serum leucine-rich alpha-2 glycoprotein in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Serum leucine-rich alpha-2 glycoprotein (LRG) can monitor disease activities during biologics treatment in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It is unclear whether the pretreatment serum LRG level can predict clinical effectiveness including serum trough levels of ustekinumab in patients with IBD. This multicenter prospective cohort study included 184 patients (Crohn's disease, 104; ulcerative colitis, 80) who received ustekinumab (n = 119) or anti-tumor necrosis factor (n = 65) between January 2019 and March 2023.

Direct plasma treatment of caryopses after flowering in brewer's rice cultivar Yamadanishiki enhanced those grain qualities through "Smart Agriculture System".

In present investigation, the effort is done to enhance the grain quality in brewer's rice cultivar Yamadanishiki with the plasma treatment of caryopsis (rice fruit) on ripening process. Seedlings transplanted from a paddy field into pots were grown in a greenhouse, and each caryopsis was treated with plasma on 1, 5, 10 and 15 days after flowering (DAF). The ratio of white-core grains to total number of grains was decreased in the grains treated on DAF1, same level on DAF5, and increased on DAF10 and 15, respectively, compared with control grains.