Assessment of communication environment and health literacy of patients on chronic hemodialysis: a multicenter observational study (SMEL-HD study).

Background: The ability to access health and medical information have implications for prognosis and quality of life. This study investigated the current communication environment and health literacy in chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients and their associations with patients' physical condition and clinical findings.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional, single-arm, multicenter exploratory study.

Direct detection of the chloride release and uptake reactions of Natronomonas pharaonis halorhodopsin.

Membrane transport proteins undergo multistep conformational changes to fulfill the transport of substrates across biological membranes. Substrate release and uptake are the most important events of these multistep reactions that accompany significant conformational changes. Thus, their relevant structural intermediates should be identified to better understand the molecular mechanism.

[Acute myeloid leukemia with central nervous system involvement successfully treated with gilteritinib].

A 69-year-old woman was referred to our hospital due to hyperleukocytosis. We diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia and started induction therapy with the CAG regimen (aclarubicin, cytarabine and filgrastim). However, the patient was refractory to the initial treatment and developed quadriplegia, and a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) test showed elevated blasts.

Pathophysiology of encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis: lessons from findings of the past three decades in Japan.

Encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis (EPS), a condition with a high mortality rate, is a serious complication of peritoneal dialysis (PD). In Japan, EPS became a central issue in the clinical setting during the mid-90s and the beginning of this century. However, following the introduction of biocompatible neutral PD solutions containing lower levels of glucose degradation products, the incidence and clinical severity of EPS has been greatly lessened.

Pitavastatin Compared with Differential Intervention Trial by Standard Therapy on Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Dyslipidemia on Chronic Hemodialysis (DIALYSIS): A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction: Statin has been reported to reduce cardiovascular events. However, the comparative efficacy of statin with standard therapy on cardiovascular events has not been sufficiently reported in patients on chronic hemodialysis. Thus, this study aimed to compare the effects of pitavastatin and standard therapy on mortality and cardiovascular events in chronic hemodialysis patients with dyslipidemia in Japan.

Relationship between the affective dimension of pain and site of the disorder: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Pain is a complex experience with both sensory and affective dimensions, and the affective dimension can increase the risks of chronic pain development. It is thus critical to identify factors influencing the affective dimension of pain.

Objective: This study aimed to identify the relationship between the affective dimension of pain and disorder site (primary pain source).

Relationship between laparoscopic and microscopic findings of peritoneum in peritoneal dialysis patients.

Long-term exposure to the peritoneal dialysis solution (PDS) causes functional and morphological alterations that diminish the efficacy of peritoneal dialysis (PD). Macroscopic and microscopic findings, submesothelial compact zone (SMC) thickness and vascular patency, were associated with PD duration. The relationship between microscopic and laparoscopic morphological findings in PD patients was determined.

The Influence of an Unexpected Switch of Hemodialysis Facilities on the Quality of Life (QOL) in Hemodialysis Patients.

Background: We experienced a sudden breakdown of hemodialysis system during a clinical study of dermal itch and serum BNP concentrations.

Patients And Methods: Forty-eight hemodialysis patients were enrolled in the itch-related study. It was intended to improve itch by lowering BNP with supportive communication between the patients and the dialysis staff.

Multiscale Entropy of Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Differentiates Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and Multiple System Atrophy.

Distinguishing progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) from multiple system atrophy (MSA) in the early clinical stages is challenging; few sensitive and specific biomarkers are available for their differential diagnosis. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) is used to study the fluctuations in blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals at rest, which provides evidence for aberrant brain functional networks in neurodegenerative diseases. We aimed to examine whether rs-fMRI data could differentiate between PSP and MSA via a multiscale entropy (MSE) analysis of BOLD signals, which estimates the complexity of temporal fluctuations in brain activity.

Altered resting-state functional connectivity of the frontal-striatal circuit in elderly with apathy.

Apathy is defined as reduction of goal-directed behaviors and a common nuisance syndrome of neurodegenerative and psychiatric disease. The underlying mechanism of apathy implicates changes of the front-striatal circuit, but its precise alteration is unclear for apathy in healthy aged people. The aim of our study is to investigate how the frontal-striatal circuit is changed in elderly with apathy using resting-state functional MRI.

An association between subcutaneous fat mass accumulation and hypertension.

Evidence to assess relationships between subcutaneous fat area (SFA) and lifestyle-related diseases, including hypertension, remains limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between SFA and hypertension. This study was a single-institution, cross-sectional study of 1,899 eligible Japanese participants who underwent health checkups between December 2016 and December 2018.

An association between visceral or subcutaneous fat accumulation and diabetes mellitus among Japanese subjects.

Background: The impact of subcutaneous fat accumulation remains controversial. This study assessed the association between visceral or subcutaneous fat area (VFA and SFA, respectively) and diabetes mellitus (DM) among Japanese subjects.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 1907 eligible participants (men, 1050; women, 857) who participated in a voluntary health check-up conducted at Juntendo University Hospital from January 2017 to December 2018, in Tokyo, Japan.

Recent Understanding of Peritoneal Pathology in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients in Japan.

The thin peritoneum covering the peritoneal cavity has been used as a dialysis membrane for peritoneal dialysis (PD) because it is highly vascularized and has a large body surface area. However, it has been reported that peritoneal membranes affected by peritonitis, as well as those exposed to the nonphysiological high glucose levels containing PD dialysate, may undergo histological and functional changes. Patients undergoing PD may experience encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis (EPS), which is a life-threatening serious complication of PD that can significantly impair activities of daily living.

A disposable, ultra-fine endoscope for non-invasive, close examination of the intraluminal surface of the peritoneal dialysis catheter and peritoneal cavity.

The ability to visualize intraluminal surface of peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter and peritoneal cavity could allow elucidation of the cases of outflow problems, and provide information on changes to the peritoneal membrane leading to encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis. A non-invasive examination that allows those monitoring in need is desirable. We have developed a disposable ultra-fine endoscope that can be inserted into the lumen of the existing PD catheter, allowing observation of the luminal side of the catheter and peritoneal cavity from the tip of the PD catheter, with minimum invasion in practice.

USP15 Deubiquitinates TUT1 Associated with RNA Metabolism and Maintains Cerebellar Homeostasis.

Precise regulation of RNA metabolism is crucial for dynamic gene expression and controlling cellular functions. In the nervous system, defects in RNA metabolism are implicated in the disturbance of brain homeostasis and development. Here, we report that deubiquitinating enzyme, ubiquitin specific peptidase 15 (USP15), deubiquitinates terminal uridylyl transferase 1 (TUT1) and changes global RNA metabolism.

A dose-finding approach for genomic patterns in phase I trials.

Precision medicine is an emerging approach for disease treatment and prevention that accounts for individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle. Cancer is a genomic disease; therefore, the dose-efficacy and dose-toxicity relationships for molecularly targeted agents in cancer most likely differ, based on the genomic mutation pattern. The individualized optimal dose - the maximal efficacious dose with a clinically acceptable safety profile - may vary depending on the genomic mutation patterns and should be determined prior to the use of these agents in precision medicine.

Neutropenia and survival outcomes in metastatic colorectal cancer patients treated with trifluridine/tipiracil in the RECOURSE and J003 trials.

Background: The phase II J003 (N = 169) and phase III RECOURSE (N = 800) trials demonstrated a significant improvement in survival with trifluridine (FTD)/tipiracil (TPI) versus placebo in patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer. This post hoc analysis investigated pharmacokinetic data of FTD/TPI exposure and pharmacodynamic markers, such as chemotherapy-induced neutropenia (CIN) and clinical outcomes.

Patients And Methods: A total of 210 patients from RECOURSE were enrolled in this substudy.

Response to tocilizumab and work productivity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: 2-year follow-up of FIRST ACT-SC study.

Objectives: We evaluated long-term control of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Japanese paid workers (PWs) and house workers (HWs) treated with subcutaneous tocilizumab (TCZ-SC) and explored factors affecting response to TCZ-SC regarding work productivity.

Methods: This study collected data from patients with RA in the TCZ-SC +/- conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs group. Factors affecting the response to tocilizumab regarding work productivity were explored using logistic regression.

A nationwide observational study of locomotive syndrome in Japan using the ResearchKit: The Locomonitor study.

Background: We developed the Locomonitor application (app), the world's first iOS app to study locomotive syndrome, using the ResearchKit and examined the prevalence and risk factors for locomotive syndrome in Japanese general individuals 20-69 years old in a nationwide cross-sectional observational study.

Methods: The participants were recruited from February to August 2016. The outcome measures for the locomotive function were evaluated by locomotive syndrome risk tests (LSRTs) using the Locomonitor app.

Phase III randomised trial comparing 6 vs. 12-month of capecitabine as adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with stage III colon cancer: final results of the JFMC37-0801 study.

Background: Up to 6-months oxaliplatin-containing regimen is now widely accepted as a standard adjuvant chemotherapy for stage III colorectal cancer (CRC). However, oral fluoropyrimidine monotherapy is used for some part of patients, especially in Asian countries including Japan, and its optimal duration is yet to be fully investigated.

Methods: A total of 1306 patients with curatively-resected stage III CRC were randomly assigned to receive capecitabine (2500 mg/m/day) for 14 out of 21 days for 6 (n = 654) or 12 (n = 650) months.

Total Syntheses and Configuration Assignments of JBIR-06 and Related Depsipeptides.

The first total syntheses of JBIR-06 and two analogous depsipeptides, 12-membered antimycin-class antibiotics, have been accomplished via Shiina macrolactonization. Comparison of the spectroscopic data of the synthesized compounds with those reported for natural products verified that the absolute configutation of the natural products was (2 S,4 S,6 S,7 R,14 S).