Immune Response to an Adjuvanted Recombinant Zoster Vaccine in Japanese Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Receiving Upadacitinib (End Zoster-J Study): Study Protocol for an Exploratory Parallel Triple-Arm Prospective Trial.

: Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors have emerged as a new class of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, herpes zoster is one of the common adverse events of JAK inhibitors, including upadacitinib, which is especially high in Japanese patients with RA compared to those from Western countries. Recombinant zoster vaccine (Shingrix) is an adjuvanted subunit vaccine containing varicella-zoster virus (VZV) glycoprotein E (gE) that is effective in adults over 50 years of age.

Reconstruction of the finger pulp with palmar digital artery perforator propeller flap using a digital artery perforator at the lateral base of the finger pulp.

Purpose: The digital artery perforator (DAP) flap is used to repair finger pulp defects as it can help preserve the digital artery. The standard DAP flap donor site is dorsal or lateral; however, the color of the flap typically poorly matches that of the finger pulp. The purpose of this study is to report two types of novel palmar DAP flaps.

Long-term in vivo performance of silicone membrane lungs coated with novel methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine polymers: A pilot study.

Background: This study was designed to evaluate the long-term durability, oxygenation, and pressure loss of newly developed, methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC)-polymer-coated, nonporous silicone hollow fiber-membrane lungs in vivo using a pulmonary artery-to-left-atrium paracorporeal configuration.

Methods: An extracorporeal circuit from the pulmonary artery (device inflow) to the left atrium (device outflow) was established using dedicated composite vascular grafts in three healthy female goats for the prototype lung testing.

Results: Duration of testing the prototype lungs was 52, 57, or 100 days.

Short-term recurrence of stroke following misdiagnosis of carotid web masked by thrombus.

Background: Carotid webs are a potential cause of occult cerebral infarction. Although they occur frequently, proper diagnosis and treatment are crucial; surgery has been shown to provide a good outcome. Although thrombus on the carotid web have been reported, digital subtraction angiography (DSA)-confirmed cases of pre-dispersed thrombus are rare.

Long-Term Survey of Japanese Children with Recurrent Nephroblastoma: A Report from Japan Children's Cancer Group.

In prospective Japanese studies of pediatric renal tumors, 5-year event-free survival and overall survival (OS) for patients with nephroblastoma ranges from 75-90% and 89-97%, respectively. However, treatments strategies for recurrent nephroblastoma in Japanese patients remain unclear. This retrospective study aimed to inform the development of treatment strategies by analyzing the long-term results and side effects of salvage therapies for recurrent nephroblastoma in Japan.

Nationwide questionnaire survey on pediatric pancreatic tumors in Japan.

Background: Pediatric pancreatic tumors are rare and account for < 0.1% of all childhood cancers. The primary treatment for pancreatic tumors is surgical resection.

Features of recurrence and contralateral metachronous inguinal hernia (CMIH) in the patients underwent laparoscopic percutaneous extraperitoneal closure (LPEC) for pediatric inguinal hernia.

Purpose: Recurrence and contralateral metachronous inguinal hernia (CMIH) are important postoperative complications in patients with inguinal hernia (IH) who undergo laparoscopic percutaneous extraperitoneal closure (LPEC). This study aimed to evaluate the incidence and causes of recurrence and CMIH after LPEC.

Methods: Among the included patients, 2484 hernias were included in the analysis of recurrence.

Continuous process design of the microwave chemical recycling of waste plastics using microwave-absorbing heating elements.

Conventional pyrolysis methods to chemically recycle plastic waste require significant energy input owing to inefficient energy transfer from the heat sources to plastics and the generation of excess CO. Accordingly, there is an urgent need to develop alternative methods for the chemical recycling of waste plastics to limit global warming. In this study, the use of microwaves (MWs) as an efficient energy source for pyrolysis and chemical recycling.

Laparoscopic resection for retroperitoneum ganglioneuroma with Supine hypotension syndrome.

Background: Supine hypotension syndrome (SHS) has been reported to occur due to compression by a giant tumor such as ovarian tumor. We herein report a case of retroperitoneal ganglioneuroma with SHS treated with laparoscopic resection.

Case Presentation: The patient was an 11-year-old male with right-sided abdominal pain.

Effects of smoking cessation on endothelial function as assessed by flow-mediated total dilation.

Background: In assessing the effects of smoking cessation on endothelial function, low-flow-mediated constriction (L-FMC) may provide complementary information to flow-mediated dilation (FMD). However, the value of flow-mediated total dilation (FMTD), an index that incorporates L-FMC into FMD, remains underreported. We aimed to evaluate the effect of smoking cessation on endothelial function, as assessed by FMD and FMTD, and clarify its associated clinical factors.

Three-dimensional imaging of upper tract urothelial carcinoma improves diagnostic yield and accuracy.

Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is a rare form of urothelial cancer with a high incidence of recurrence and a low survival rate. Almost two-thirds of UTUCs are invasive at the time of diagnosis; therefore, improving diagnostic methods is key to increasing survival rates. Histopathological analysis of UTUC is essential for diagnosis and typically requires endoscopy biopsy, tissue sectioning, and labeling.

Exploring the Link between Varicella-Zoster Virus, Autoimmune Diseases, and the Role of Recombinant Zoster Vaccine.

The varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is a human neurotropic herpes virus responsible for varicella and herpes zoster (HZ). Following primary infection in childhood, VZV manifests as varicella (chickenpox) and enters a period of latency within the dorsal root ganglion. A compromised cellular immune response due to aging or immunosuppression triggers viral reactivation and the development of HZ (shingles).

A case of repeated stent fracture.

Stent fracture is one of the complications of drug-eluting stent implantation. An 84-year-old man underwent coronary angiography for unstable angina. He had diffuse severe stenosis and calcified plaque in the left anterior descending artery and underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the left anterior descending artery for severe stenosis with chest pain.

Appropriate definition of non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC) and optimal timing of androgen receptor signaling inhibitor (ARSI).

Background: Defined by rising PSA levels under androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) despite no visible metastases on conventional imaging, non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC) represents a complex clinical challenge. A significant subset of these patients rapidly develops metastatic disease, negatively impacting survival. We examined the difference in prognosis of nmCRPC patients according to the timing of therapeutic interventions with androgen receptor signaling inhibitor (ARSI).

A culture method with berbamine, a plant alkaloid, enhances CAR-T cell efficacy through modulating cellular metabolism.

Memory T cells demonstrate superior in vivo persistence and antitumor efficacy. However, methods for manufacturing less differentiated T cells are not yet well-established. Here, we show that producing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells using berbamine (BBM), a natural compound found in the Chinese herbal medicine Berberis amurensis, enhances the antitumor efficacy of CAR-T cells.

Proteomic analysis of serum extracellular vesicles reveals Fibulin-3 as a new marker predicting liver-related events in MASLD.

Background: There is a need for novel noninvasive markers for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) to stratify patients at high risk for liver-related events including liver cancer and decompensation. In the present study, we used proteomic analysis of proteins in extracellular vesicles (EVs) to identify new biomarkers that change with fibrosis progression and can predict the development of liver-related events.

Methods: We analyzed serum EVs from 50 patients with MASLD assessed for liver fibrosis by biopsy and identified proteins that altered with advanced fibrosis.

The serum tenascin C level is a marker of metabolic disorder-related inflammation affecting pancreatic cancer prognosis.

Obesity is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer development, partly due to the tissue environment of metabolic disorder-related inflammation. We aimed to detect a tissue environment marker triggered by obesity-related metabolic disorders related to pancreatic cancer progression. In murine experiments, Bl6/j mice fed a normal diet (ND) or a high-fat diet (HFD) were orthotopically injected with mPKC1, a murine-derived pancreatic cancer cell line.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy for patients with accessory liver lobe attached to the wall of the gallbladder: case reports.

Background: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is one of the most commonly undertaken procedures worldwide for cholecystolithiasis and cholecystitis. Accessory liver lobe (ALL) is a developmental anomaly defined as an excessive liver lobe composed of a normal liver parenchyma. Some ALL exist on the serosal side of the gallbladder.

Predictive factors and treatment outcomes associated with difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis conditions: the ANSWER cohort study.

Objectives: To investigate the predictive factors for difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis (D2T RA) and assess the efficacy of biologic DMARDs (bDMARDs) and Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi).

Methods: Retrospective analysis was conducted on data from the ANSWER cohort comprising 3623 RA patients treated with bDMARDs or JAKi in Japan. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards modelling was used to analyse the hazard ratios (HRs) for treatment retention.