Comparisons of oscillatory potentials and 30 Hz flicker electroretinograms for discriminating eyes with diabetic retinopathy from normal eyes.

Purpose: To compare the amplitudes and implicit times of the oscillatory (OPs) of the full-field electroretinograms (ERGs) to those of the 30 Hz flicker ERGs in differentiating eyes with diabetic retinopathy (DR) from normal eyes.

Study Design: Single-center observational study.

Methods: Full-field ERGs were recorded in 55 patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and 20 normal control subjects.

Pharmacological Properties of JTE-151; A Novel Orally Available RORγ Antagonist That Suppresses Th17 Cell-Related Responses and .

Retinoid-related orphan receptor-γ (RORγ) is a nuclear receptor that plays important roles in the development and activation of T helper type-17 (Th17) cells. In this study, we characterized the pharmacological profile of JTE-151 ((4S)-6-[(2-chloro-4-methylphenyl)amino]-4-{4-cyclopropyl-5-[cis-3-(2,2-dimethylpropyl)cyclobutyl]isoxazol-3yl}-6-oxohexanoic acid), which is a novel RORγ antagonist identified by our group. JTE-151 dissociated co-activator peptide from the human RORγ-ligand binding domain (LBD) and recruited co-repressor peptide into human RORγ-LBD, and potently inhibited the transcriptional activity of RORγ of human, mouse and rat.

Associations between sleep parameters and falls among older adults with and without cardiovascular disease: Evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS).

Aim: Falls are a major global public health concern, requiring early screening and prevention. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is associated with physical impairments and increased fall risk. Despite the link between CVD and sleep parameters, research on falls and sleep in CVD patients is limited.

Gait Acquisition with a Quadrilateral Socket after Ultra-short Transfemoral Amputation because of Staphylococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome.

Background: Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) is a notifiable disease under Japan's Infectious Disease Control Law and has become a pandemic following COVID-19. STSS often leads to necrotizing fasciitis, with a mortality rate exceeding 30%. Even in surviving patients, limb amputations are common.

Nrf2 Deficiency Exacerbates the Decline in Swallowing and Respiratory Muscle Mass and Function in Mice with Aspiration Pneumonia.

Aspiration pneumonia exacerbates swallowing and respiratory muscle atrophy. It induces respiratory muscle atrophy through three steps: proinflammatory cytokine production, caspase-3 and calpain, and then ubiquitin-proteasome activations. In addition, autophagy induces swallowing muscle atrophy.

Heteroduplex oligonucleotide technology boosts oligonucleotide splice switching activity of morpholino oligomers in a Duchenne muscular dystrophy mouse model.

The approval of splice-switching oligonucleotides with phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PMOs) for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) has advanced the field of oligonucleotide therapy. Despite this progress, PMOs encounter challenges such as poor tissue uptake, particularly in the heart, diaphragm, and central nervous system (CNS), thereby affecting patient's prognosis and quality of life. To address these limitations, we have developed a PMOs-based heteroduplex oligonucleotide (HDO) technology.

Minimal influenza virus transmission from touching contaminated face masks: a laboratory study.

The risk of virus transmission via the touching of contaminated masks has long been assumed by infection control teams. Yet, robust evidence to support this belief has been lacking. This risk was investigated in a laboratory setting by measuring the amount of viable influenza virus successfully transferred from artificially contaminated medical (surgical) mask surfaces to a human finger used to swipe their outer surface under various experimental conditions.

A preliminary study on the effects of long-term robot suit exercise training on gait function and quality of life in patients with spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy.

Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) progressively impairs gait function, resulting in the need for patients to use a wheelchair approximately 20 years after onset. No reports have investigated the effects of long-term exercise training using the Hybrid Assisted Limb (HAL) in patients with multiple SBMA. This study investigated the effects of long-term exercise training using HAL in patients with SBMA and its effects on the quality of life (QoL).

Sporadic inclusion body myositis-derived myotube culture revealed muscle cell-autonomous expression profiles.

Sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM) is a muscle disease in older people and is characterized by inflammatory cell invasion into intact muscle fibers and rimmed vacuoles. The pathomechanism of sIBM is not fully elucidated yet, and controversy exists as to whether sIBM is a primary autoimmune disease or a degenerative muscle disease with secondary inflammation. Previously, we established a method of collecting CD56-positive myoblasts from human skeletal muscle biopsy samples.

Effects of Heat-Treated CP790-Fermented Milk on Gastrointestinal Health in Healthy Adults: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Probiotic-fermented milk is commonly used to maintain intestinal health. However, the effects of heat-treated fermented milk, which does not contain live microorganisms, on intestinal function are not yet fully understood. This study aimed to investigate whether heat-treated CP790-fermented milk affects fecal microbiota and gut health as a "postbiotic".

Thoracic and vertebral deformities in lung transplantation: perioperative complications and long-term prognoses.

Background: Lung transplantation (LTx) is a crucial therapeutic strategy for patients suffering from end-stage respiratory diseases, necessitating precise donor-recipient size matching to ensure optimal graft function. While standard allocation protocols rely on predicted lung capacity based on factors such as sex, age, and height, a subset of patients with respiratory diseases presents an additional challenge - thoracic or vertebral deformities. These deformities can complicate accurate volume predictions and may impact the success of lung transplantation.

SBT2786 Improves Sleep Quality in Japanese Adults with Relatively High Levels of Stress: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study.

Sleep disorders associated with lifestyle changes and unhealthy habits are major public health concerns. Our previous study showed that SBT2786 has a potent sleep-promoting effect on fruit flies. Fruit flies share many similarities with mammals, making them suitable model organisms for studying sleep.

High-intensity intermittent inspiratory and abdominal muscle combined training in respiratory, swallowing and systemic muscles of healthy adults.

Background: Low-intensity continuous inspiratory muscle training improves its strength. The abdominal muscles are the main expiratory muscles, and their training may improve expiratory muscle strength. Respiratory muscle strength regulates coughing effectiveness, which is critical for pneumonia management.

Piceatannol Upregulates SIRT1 Expression in Skeletal Muscle Cells and in Human Whole Blood: In Vitro Assay and a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group Comparison Trial.

Piceatannol (PIC), a polyphenol abundant in passion fruit seeds, is reported to promote fat metabolism. This study investigated whether PIC affects sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) expression and metabolic factors in C2C12 skeletal muscle cells. C2C12 myotubes were stimulated with PIC, and alterations in gene expression, protein levels, mitochondrial DNA content, and fatty acid levels were assessed using real-time PCR, Western blotting, and Nile red staining.

Effects of local reduction of endogenous α-synuclein using antisense oligonucleotides on the fibril-induced propagation of pathology through the neural network in wild-type mice.

In Parkinson's disease and other synucleinopathies, fibrillar forms of α-synuclein (aSyn) are hypothesized to structurally convert and pathologize endogenous aSyn, which then propagates through the neural connections, forming Lewy pathologies and ultimately causing neurodegeneration. Inoculation of mouse-derived aSyn preformed fibrils (PFFs) into the unilateral striatum of wild-type mice causes widespread aSyn pathologies in the brain through the neural network. Here, we used the local injection of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) against Snca mRNA to confine the area of endogenous aSyn protein reduction and not to affect the PFFs properties in this model.

The Potential Immunomodulatory Effect of subsp. BB536 on Healthy Adults through Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Activation in the Peripheral Blood.

The interaction between the gut microbiota and the host can influence the host's immune system. , a commensal genus of gut bacteria, seems to have positive effects on host health. Our previous clinical research showed that subsp.

Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index Predicts High Activities of Daily Living at Discharge in Older Patients with Heart Failure after Cardiac Rehabilitation.

Background: Hospitalization often leads to a decline in activities of daily living (ADL) in older patients with heart failure. Although cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves ADL, it can be difficult to perform CR due to the deconditioning of these patients. This study aimed to examine the factors associated with ADL at discharge in older patients with heart failure who underwent CR.

[Rehabilitation for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and ALS clinic].

The dysfunctions of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are highly variable. Rehabilitation medicine for movement disorders differs in accordance with the degree of severity. Exercise therapy should be performed while the disease is mild, with compensatory training increasing as the severity increases.