Characterising global risk profiles of Mpox clade Ib importation.

The novel mpox clade Ib initially identified in the Domestic Republic of Congo has spread to its multiple neighbouring countries as well as countries beyond the African continent. We characterised the global risk of importation of mpox clade Ib, highlighting the need to ramp up surveillance capacity for early detection.

'Not finding causal effect' is not 'finding no causal effect' of school closure on COVID-19.

In a paper recently published in , Fukumoto et al. tried to assess the government-led school closure policy during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. They compared the reported incidence rates between municipalities that had and had not implemented school closure in selected periods from March-May 2020, where they matched for various potential confounders, and claimed that there was no causal effect on the incidence rates of COVID-19.

Directional Filter Design and Simulation for Superconducting On-Chip Filter-Banks.

Many superconducting on-chip filter-banks suffer from poor coupling to the detectors behind each filter. This is a problem intrinsic to the commonly used half-wavelength filter, which has a maximum theoretical coupling of 50 %. In this paper, we introduce a phase-coherent filter, called a directional filter, which has a theoretical coupling of 100 %.

Analysis of the relationship between ambient dose, ambient dose equivalent and effective dose in operational neutron spectra.

This study examines the relationship between ambient dose H*, ambient dose equivalent H*(10), and effective dose E for external neutron irradiation over 163 operational spectra from different workplaces. The results show that H* provides a reasonable estimate with a controlled margin, even if overestimated, to assess E compared with H*(10), which can lead to a significant overestimation or underestimation of E depending on the neutron spectra. The results highlight the limitations of H*(10) and the superiority of H* in estimating E according to the requirements of the operational quantities, especially in environments with high-energy neutrons.

A well-managed case of discontinuous anorectal injury caused by a personal watercraft treated by combining surgery and colonoscopy.

Background: Anorectal injury caused by personal watercraft (PWC)-related trauma is rare. However, PWC accidents have increased recently, and since patients tend to be younger, treatment strategies should consider anal function preservation in addition to saving lives.

Case Presentation: A 30-year-old female patient who fell into the water when a PWC suddenly accelerated and injured her perineum with a forceful water jet was transported to our hospital.

Safety and Efficacy of Lemborexant in Insomnia Patients: Results of a Postmarketing Observational Study of Dayvigo Tablets.

Background And Objective: A prospective, postmarketing observational study was conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of lemborexant (LEM) tablets in daily clinical practice in Japan. No other studies of a similar size have been conducted since the marketing approval of LEM, making this the first report of its kind.

Methods: Insomnia patients (n = 550) administered LEM (5-10 mg daily) for the first time were enrolled.

Dune soil nitrogen leaching for Chinese-yam cultivation: Impact of microbe-decomposable slow-release fertilizer.

Chinese yam production is thriving in Aomori Prefecture, a cold and snowy region in Japan. Recently, there has been an increasing risk of nitrogen leaching in Chinese-yam fields, which consist of sandy soil, due to localized torrential rain. The relationships between the type of fertilizer used for Chinese-yam cultivation, the amount of nitrogen (N) leaching, and the timing of leaching remain unknown.

Diffuse bone marrow uptake on F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography with copper-deficiency anemia.

A 59-year-old man with pancytopenia underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography for suspected carcinomatosis. The scan revealed diffuse bone marrow uptake, prompting further investigation. Bone marrow analysis revealed no malignant cells; however, erythroblasts with cytoplasmic vacuolization were observed.

Different time scales used for sexual partner surveys pose a challenge in modelling dynamics of sexually transmitted infections.

Mathematical models for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are parameterised by empirical data on sexual behaviour (e.g. the number of partners over a given period) obtained from surveys.

Associated organs and system with COVID-19 death with information of organ support: a multicenter observational study.

Background: The organ dysfunction that is associated with death in COVID-19 patients has not been determined in multicenter epidemiologic studies. In this study, we evaluated the major association with death, concomitant organ dysfunction, and proportion of multiple organ failure in deaths in patients with COVID-19, along with information on organ support.

Methods: We performed an observational cohort study using the Japanese multicenter research of COVID-19 by assembling a real-world data (J-RECOVER) study database.

Optogenetic stimulation of vagal nerves for enhanced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and β cell proliferation.

The enhancement of insulin secretion and of the proliferation of pancreatic β cells are promising therapeutic options for diabetes. Signals from the vagal nerve regulate both processes, yet the effectiveness of stimulating the nerve is unclear, owing to a lack of techniques for doing it so selectively and prolongedly. Here we report two optogenetic methods for vagal-nerve stimulation that led to enhanced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and to β cell proliferation in mice expressing choline acetyltransferase-channelrhodopsin 2.

Estimation of waning vaccine effectiveness from population-level surveillance data in multi-variant epidemics.

Monitoring time-varying vaccine effectiveness (e.g., due to waning of immunity and the emergence of novel variants) provides crucial information for outbreak control.

Phagocytosis by macrophages promotes pancreatic β cell mass reduction after parturition in mice.

Elucidating the mechanism(s) modulating appropriate tissue size is a critical biological issue. Pancreatic β cells increase during pregnancy via cellular proliferation, but how β cells promptly decrease to the original amount after parturition remains unclear. Herein, we demonstrate the role and mechanism of macrophage accumulation in this process.

Early restricted oxygen therapy after resuscitation from cardiac arrest (ER-OXYTRAC): protocol for a stepped-wedge cluster randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Cardiac arrest is a critical condition, and patients often experience postcardiac arrest syndrome (PCAS) even after the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). Administering a restricted amount of oxygen in the early phase after ROSC has been suggested as a potential therapy for PCAS; however, the optimal target for arterial partial pressure of oxygen or peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO) to safely and effectively reduce oxygen remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to validate the efficacy of restricted oxygen treatment with 94%-95% of the target SpO during the initial 12 hours after ROSC for patients with PCAS.

Manual Chest Compression versus Automated Chest Compression Device during Day-Time and Night-Time Resuscitation Following Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Retrospective Historical Control Study.

Objective: We assessed the effectiveness of automated chest compression devices depending on the time of admission based on the frequency of iatrogenic chest injuries, the duration of in-hospital resuscitation efforts, and clinical outcomes among out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective historical control study of OHCA patients in Japan between 2015-2022. The patients were divided according to time of admission, where day-time was considered 07:00-22:59 and night-time 23:00-06:59.

Effectiveness of intravenous immunoglobulin therapy for invasive group A Streptococcus infection: A Japanese nationwide observational study.

Objectives: Invasive group A Streptococcus infection (iGAS) is a rare but fatal condition. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in the treatment of iGAS.

Methods: Patients' data were extracted from a Japanese nationwide database between April 2018 and March 2021.

Time-saving effect of real-time ultrasound-guided cannulation for extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation: A multicenter retrospective cohort study.

Background: Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR), a bridge to treatments for cardiac arrest patients, can be technically challenging and requires expertise. While ultrasound guidance is frequently used for vascular access, its effects on cannulation time in patients treated with ECPR are poorly defined. We hypothesized that real-time ultrasound guidance would contribute to faster and safer cannulation for ECPR.