Intensity-modulated radiation therapy can reduce acute toxicities in long-course neoadjuvant radiation therapy combined with S-1 for locally advanced rectal cancer.

Background: The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes and adverse events between three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in patients undergoing long-course neoadjuvant radiation therapy (NA-RT) for locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma (LARC).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a total of 47 consecutive patients who received NA-RT for LARC between January 2011 and September 2022. Seven and 40 patients were diagnosed with clinical stages II and III, respectively.

Diagnostic Insighhts Into JC Virus-Infected Glial Cells: Intraoperative Cytopathological Analysis of Dot-Shaped Inclusions Associated With PML-NBs.

This is the first case report describing the diagnostic value of dot-shaped inclusions associated with promyelocytic leukaemia nuclear bodies (PML-NBs) to define JC virus-infected glial cells in an intraoperative cytopathological diagnosis for progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML).

A Giant Aneurysm of Vieussens' Arterial Ring With Pulmonary Artery Fistula.

A 79-year-old woman presented with a systolic murmur and dyspnea on exertion. Transthoracic echocardiography and multidetector-row computed tomography revealed a giant aneurysm in an abnormal vessel known as Vieussens' arterial ring (VAR). A pulmonary artery VAR fistula was also observed.

Dissociation of IgM antibodies from red blood cells using ethylenediamine tetraacetate/glycine acid or chloroquine diphosphate.

Background: Ethylenediamine tetraacetate/glycine acid (EGA) and chloroquine diphosphate (CDP) are used in transfusion testing to dissociate IgG antibodies from red blood cells (RBCs). However, the ability of these reagents to dissociate IgM antibodies sensitized to RBCs has not been comprehensively elucidated. We investigated whether EGA and CDP could dissociate cold-reactive antibodies from RBCs and their effect on RBCs after dissociation treatment.

Analysis of Pleiotropic Effects of Nivolumab in Patients with Relapsed Pleural Mesothelioma: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.

Introduction: In August 2018, the Japanese PMDA approved nivolumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor, for previously treated, unresectable, advanced, or recurrent pleural mesothelioma (PM) based on the MERIT trial, a phase II study of 34 cases. However, concerns regarding limited evidence persist.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 83 patients with previously treated, unresectable, advanced, or recurrent malignant PM treated with nivolumab from August 2018 to May 2022.

Risk of autism spectrum disorder at 18 months of age is associated with prenatal level of polychlorinated biphenyls exposure in a Japanese birth cohort.

Prenatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) has a detrimental effect on early cognitive development. Based on these observations, some researchers suggested that prenatal exposure to PCB may be an environmental cause of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To investigate the potential link between prenatal exposure to PCB, we analyzed the link between the level of prenatal PCB exposure and ASD risk evaluated at 18 months of age and behavioral problems at 5 years old based on longitudinal birth cohort data collected in urban areas in Japan based on the data from 115 mother-infant pairs.

f.a., sp. nov., a novel yeast species isolated from biofilm in a reverse osmosis system.

Novel strains, JCM 35526 and 261-2C, were isolated from biofilm formed on a reverse osmosis membrane in the phosphate recovery system of a semiconductor factory. Morphological, biochemical, physiological, and chemotaxonomic analyses as well as sequence analysis of the concatenated internal transcribed spacer region and D1/D2 domains of the large subunit of the rRNA gene confirmed that strains JCM 35526 and 261-2C, were distinct from all currently known species. The holotype and isotype strains of the new species, which is named , are JCM 35526 and MUCL 58310, respectively.

Evaluation of the persistence of Epichloë endophyte and its possible effect on fungal assemblages in dead leaf sheaths.

The systemic fungal endophytes of the genus Epichloë inhabit the aerial part of host grasses. Recent studies have reported that Epichloë affects the non-systemic endophytic assemblages in live leaves, but few studies that have demonstrated the occurrence of Epichloë and its effect on fungal assemblages in dead leaves. We proposed a hypothesis that Epichloë decreases from live to dead leaves but affects the non-systemic endophytic assemblages also in dead leaves.

Head-to-head comparison among FAST, MAST, and multiparametric MRI-based new score in diagnosing at-risk MASH.

Objectives: New scores were developed to identify at-risk metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) using multiparametric MRI (mpMRI).

Materials And Methods: A prospective study was conducted on 176 patients with suspected or diagnosed metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) paired with an MR scan, vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE), and liver biopsy. Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), proton density fat fraction (PDFF), and mpMRI-based corrected T1 (cT1) were combined to develop a one-step strategy, named MPcT (MRE + PDFF + cT1, combined score), and a two-step strategy-MRE-based LSM followed by PDFF with cT1 (M-PcT, paired score) for diagnosing at-risk MASH.

A case report of an individual with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease characterized by prolonged isolated thalamic lesions and rare MM2-cortical-type pathology.

Background: Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) is essential for diagnosing Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Thalamic lesions are rarely detected by DWI in sporadic CJD (sCJD) cases with methionine homozygosity at polymorphic codon 129 (129MM) of the prion protein (PrP) gene. Here, we describe an unusual sCJD case, characterized by prolonged isolated thalamic diffusion hyperintensities and atypical brain pathology, in combination with the 129MM genotype.

Real-time simultaneous visualization of lactate and proton dynamics using a 6-μm-pitch CMOS multichemical image sensor.

Multi-analyte detection and imaging of extracellular chemical signaling molecules are crucial for understanding brain function and molecular pathology. In this work, we present a 6-μm-pitch, CMOS-based multichemical image sensor that enables the simultaneous visualization and spatiotemporal multimodal analysis of the lactate and proton (H) dynamics without any labeling. Using semiconductor lithography, gold electrode patterns functioning as lactate-sensing regions were formed on a potentiometric sensor array.

Successful surgical treatment for primary cardiac angiosarcoma: a case report.

Background: Primary cardiac angiosarcomas are extremely rare and their prognosis is poor. Surgical resection is the first-line treatment; however, no clear standard of care has been clearly established because of the rarity of these tumors.

Case Presentation: A 61-year-old man who had presented with dyspnea on exertion was referred to our hospital.

Toward defining the Anthropocene onset using a rapid increase in anthropogenic fingerprints in global geological archives.

One of the remaining issues regarding the Anthropocene is the lack of stratigraphic evidence indicating when the cumulative human pressure from the early Holocene began to fundamentally change the Earth system. Herein, we compile anthropogenic fingerprints from various high-precision-dated proxy records for 137 global sites to determine the age of the unprecedented surge in these records over the last 7700 y. The cumulative number of fingerprints revealed an unprecedented surge in diverse anthropogenic fingerprints starting in 1952 ± 3 CE, corresponding to the onset of the Great Acceleration.

Impact of immunoglobulin preparations on anti-HLA antibody specificity analysis.

Background: Donor-specific antibodies (DSAs) targeting human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) substantially reduce the longevity of transplanted organs. Desensitization of DSA-positive renal transplant recipients is achieved through intravenous administration of immunoglobulin (IVIg). However, the presence and detectability of anti-HLA antibodies in IVIg preparations following administration are not fully understood.

Factors affecting discrepancies in disease activity evaluation between patients and physicians in systemic lupus erythematosus-The importance of symptoms such as fatigue.

Objectives: There are often discrepancies in the evaluation of disease activity between patients and physicians in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In this study, we examined the factors that affect those evaluations.

Methods: Physician visual analogue scale (Ph-VAS), patient VAS (Pt-VAS), Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2k), glucocorticoid (GC) usage and dose, age, Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index, and three patient-reported outcomes (SLE symptom checklist [SSC], short-form 36 questionnaire [SF-36], and LupusPRO) were obtained from a study performed in 2019 using 225 SLE outpatients of the Kyoto Lupus Cohort at Kyoto University Hospital.

Hereditary spastic paraplegia and extensive leukoencephalopathy: a case report of a unique phenotype associated with a GJB1/Cx32 p.Pro174Ser variant.

Background: Pathogenic variants in Gap junction protein beta 1 (GJB1), which encodes Connexin 32, are known to cause X-linked Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMTX), the second most common form of CMT. CMTX presents with the following five central nervous systems (CNS) phenotypes: subclinical electrophysiological abnormalities, mild fixed abnormalities on neurological examination and/or imaging, transient CNS dysfunction, cognitive impairment, and persistent CNS manifestations.

Case Presentation: A 40-year-old Japanese male showed CNS symptoms, including nystagmus, prominent spastic paraplegia, and mild cerebellar ataxia, accompanied by subclinical peripheral neuropathy.

Radiation-Induced Lymphopenia and Its Impact on Survival in Patients with Brain Metastasis.

Background: Differences in radiation-induced lymphopenia and prognosis between methods of radiotherapy (RT) for brain metastases remain unclear.

Methods: In this retrospective analysis of patients who underwent whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) or stereotactic radiosurgery/radiotherapy (SRS/SRT) for brain metastases, baseline total lymphocyte count (TLC) data were obtained within 2 weeks before RT initiation. Follow-up TLC data were evaluated at 0-2, 2-4, and 4-8 weeks after RT completion.

Iodine identification in major edible seaweed Kappaphycus alvarezii and establishment of an iodine reduction method for its protein extract for utilization as a protein source.

Kappaphycus alvarezii is the most widely cultivated seaweed globally. The use of the protein contained in K. alvarezii as an alternative protein source seems to be an effective countermeasure against the protein crisis.

Proximal superficial femoral artery puncture using an ascending approach for stent re-occlusion in the common femoral artery.

Unlabelled: We aimed to describe a technique for approaching the common femoral artery (CFA) in cases where doing so is difficult owing to an occluded lesion caused by a previously implanted stent. A 72-year-old woman had severe stenotic lesions in both iliac arteries that required an approach via the bilateral femoral arteries. The right CFA had a previously implanted stent and a completely occluded lesion that extended from the superficial femoral artery (SFA).