Parallel labeled-line organization of sympathetic outflow for selective organ regulation in mice.

The sympathetic nervous system is crucial for responding to environmental changes. This regulation is coordinated by the spinal sympathetic preganglionic neurons (SPNs), innervating both postganglionic neurons and the adrenal gland. Despite decades of research supporting the concept of selective control within this system, the neural circuit organization responsible for the output specificity remains poorly understood.

Single-Fraction Palliative High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy for Symptom Management in a 97-Year-Old Patient With Dementia.

Delivering cancer treatment to elderly patients with dementia is often challenging. We describe performing palliative surface mold brachytherapy (SMBT) in an elderly patient with advanced dementia for pain control using music therapy to assist with agitation. The patient was a 97-year-old Japanese woman with advanced dementia.

Impact of Nitroxyl Radicals on Photovoltaic Conversion Properties of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

Nitroxyl radicals, characterized by unique redox properties, have been investigated for their potential influence on the photovoltaic conversion properties of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In this study, we investigated the influence of nitroxyl radicals as donor sites in DSSCs. We observed that the redox activity of nitroxyl radicals significantly enhanced the photovoltaic conversion efficiency of DSSCs; this finding can offer new insights into the application of these radicals in solar energy conversion.

Circulating Syndecan-1 Levels Are Associated with Chronological Coagulofibrinolytic Responses and the Development of Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) after Trauma: A Retrospective Observational Study.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between endotheliopathy represented by high levels of circulating syndecan-1 (SDC-1) and coagulofibrinolytic responses due to trauma, which can lead to disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC).

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 48 eligible trauma patients immediately admitted to our hospital and assessed SDC-1 and coagulofibrinolytic parameters for 7 days after admission. We compared the longitudinal changes of coagulofibrinolytic parameters and SDC-1 levels between two groups (high and low SDC-1) according to median SDC-1 value on admission.

Cricotracheostomy for patients with severe COVID-19: A case control study.

Background: Tracheostomy is an important procedure for the treatment of severe coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Older age and obesity have been reported to be associated with the risk of severe COVID-19 and prolonged intubation, and anticoagulants are often administered in patients with severe COVID-19; these factors are also related to a higher risk of tracheostomy. Cricotracheostomy, a modified procedure for opening the airway through intentional partial cricoid cartilage resection, was recently reported to be useful in cases with low-lying larynx, obesity, stiff neck, and bleeding tendency.

Dynamic coagulofibrinolytic responses under long-term VV-ECMO management without anticoagulation in a COVID-19-ARDS patient: A case report.

Rationale: Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is recommended for the treatment of critically ill patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, ECMO management can cause both bleeding and thrombotic complications. There are insufficient coagulofibrinolytic data for appropriate ECMO management in patients with COVID-19.

Laryngeal complications after endotracheal intubation and prone positioning in patients with coronavirus disease 2019.

Objectives: Laryngeal complications have been reported after endotracheal intubation and prone positioning in patients with critical coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but their association is unclear. In this study, we investigated the rate of laryngeal complications in patients with COVID-19 compared to an alternative condition (control group).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 40 patients who underwent endotracheal intubation for either COVID-19 or an alternative condition (control group).

Associations Between Chronic Irritability and Sensory Processing Difficulties in Children and Adolescents.

Irritability is one of the most common reasons for which children and adolescents are referred for psychiatric evaluation and care. However, clinical irritability is difficult to define; thus, its prevalence varies widely. Chronic irritability may be associated with sensory processing difficulties (SPD), but little is known about the relationship between these two factors in clinical populations.

Prediction of out-of-field recurrence after chemoradiotherapy for cervical cancer using a combination model of clinical parameters and magnetic resonance imaging radiomics: a multi-institutional study of the Japanese Radiation Oncology Study Group.

We retrospectively assessed whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radiomics combined with clinical parameters can improve the predictability of out-of-field recurrence (OFR) of cervical cancer after chemoradiotherapy. The data set was collected from 204 patients with stage IIB (FIGO: International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics 2008) cervical cancer who underwent chemoradiotherapy at 14 Japanese institutes. Of these, 180 patients were finally included for analysis.

Clinical value of serum biomarkers, squamous cell carcinoma antigen and apolipoprotein C-II in follow-up of patients with locally advanced cervical squamous cell carcinoma treated with radiation: A multicenter prospective cohort study.

There are currently no reliable, established serum biomarkers to predict the prognosis of radiotherapy for advanced cervical cancer. We aimed to identify serum biomarkers for survival after radiotherapy for cervical cancer. In this multicenter prospective cohort study, the usefulness of pre- and posttreatment serum protein levels of potential biomarkers, including squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag), apolipoprotein C-II (ApoC-II), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)1, and MMP2, were evaluated together with clinical factors in 145 cervical cancer patients in order to determine their suitability to predict survival.

COVID-19 phobia in a boy with undiagnosed autism spectrum disorder: A case report.

Rationale: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is affecting mental health profoundly. Previous studies have reported pandemic-related anxiety. Anxiety disorder and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are common comorbidities.

A multi-institutional survey of the quality of life after treatment for uterine cervical cancer: a comparison between radical radiotherapy and surgery in Japan.

This study aimed to research the post-treatment quality of life (QOL) between radiotherapy (RT)- and operation (OP)-treated early cervical cancer survivors, using separate questionnaires for physicians and patients. We administered an observational questionnaire to patients aged 20-70 years old with Stages IB1-IIB cervical cancer who had undergone RT or OP and without recurrence as outpatients for ≥6 months after treatment. We divided 100 registered patients equally into two treatment groups (n = 50 each).

Thoracoscopic radical surgery for a morbidly obese patient with early lung cancer after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy: a case report.

Background: We experienced a case of early stage lung cancer involving a morbidly obese patient. Obesity is associated with a higher incidence of surgical complications. We examined the effectiveness of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy as a primary weight loss procedure in a morbidly obese patient who required oncological surgery.

A case of mixed neuroendocrine non-neuroendocrine neoplasm of the distal bile duct with biliary intraepithelial neoplasia.

A 72-year-old man with obstructive jaundice, diagnosed with distal biliary carcinoma, underwent pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy. The patient was histopathologically and immunohistochemically diagnosed with mixed neuroendocrine non-neuroendocrine neoplasm. Pathological examination revealed that the well-differentiated adenocarcinoma components occupied the superficial portion of the bile duct and the neuroendocrine carcinoma components were located in the deeper portion of the bile duct.

High Hes1 expression and resultant Ascl1 suppression regulate quiescent vs. active neural stem cells in the adult mouse brain.

Somatic stem/progenitor cells are active in embryonic tissues but quiescent in many adult tissues. The detailed mechanisms that regulate active versus quiescent stem cell states are largely unknown. In active neural stem cells, Hes1 expression oscillates and drives cyclic expression of the proneural gene , which activates cell proliferation.

High prevalence of shoplifting in patients with eating disorders.

Purpose: Shoplifting, prevalent in patients diagnosed with bulimia nervosa (BN), is a serious behavioral problem in eating disorder (ED) patients. However, little is known about its overall presence, etiology, and consequences. This study aimed to determine whether shoplifting occurs before or after the onset of ED and to investigate the prevalence and correlates of shoplifting in ED patients.

Acute necrotizing pancreatitis as a fatal complication following DC Bead transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma: A case report and review of the literature.

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is one of the most effective palliative measures for patients with inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Acute pancreatitis is a rare but well-known complication following TACE. We herein present the case of a patient with HCC who developed fatal complications (acute necrotizing pancreatitis and upper gastrointestinal ulcers) after TACE with DC Beads.

Seebeck coefficients of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) correlated with doping levels.

Thermoelectric properties of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) were investigated in correlation with doping level measured by a potential-step chronocoulometry (PSC) method. It was found that the log-log plot of Seebeck coefficients against doping levels showed a good linearity, whose slope value was around -1.

Relationships between thermal dose parameters and the efficacy of definitive chemoradiotherapy plus regional hyperthermia in the treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer: data from a multicentre randomised clinical trial.

Purpose: To evaluate the contribution of the thermal dose parameters during regional hyperthermia (HT) treatment to the clinical outcomes in patients with cervical carcinoma (CC) who received chemoradiotherapy (CRT) plus HT.

Materials And Methods: Data from a multicentre randomised clinical trial of concurrent CRT + HT vs. CRT alone were used to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this combination therapy in the CC patients.

Impact of the molecular structure and adsorption mode of D-π-A dye sensitizers with a pyridyl group in dye-sensitized solar cells on the adsorption equilibrium constant for dye-adsorption on TiO surface.

D-π-A dyes NI-4 bearing a pyridyl group, YNI-1 bearing two pyridyl groups and YNI-2 bearing two thienylpyridyl groups as the anchoring group on the TiO surface have been developed as dye sensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), where NI-4 and YNI-2 can adsorb onto the TiO electrode through the formation of the coordinate bond between the pyridyl group of the dye and the Lewis acid site (exposed Ti cations) on the TiO surface, but YNI-1 is predominantly adsorbed on the TiO electrode through the formation of the hydrogen bond between the pyridyl group of the dye and the Brønsted acid sites (surface-bound hydroxyl groups, Ti-OH) on the TiO surface. The difference in the dye-adsorption mode among the three dyes on the TiO surface has been investigated from the adsorption equilibrium constant (K) based on the Langmuir adsorption isotherms. It was found that the K values of YNI-1 and YNI-2 are higher than that of NI-4, and more interestingly, the K value of YNI-2 is higher than that of YNI-1.

Electrical Characteristics of Pentacene Films on Cross-Linked Polymeric Insulators of Varying Thicknesses.

Pentacene films vacuum-sublimed on a cross-linked polymeric insulator (CPVP-C) prepared using poly(4-vinylphenol) (PVP) and 1,6-bis(trichlorosilyl)hexane (C) were studied with a special concern on possible influences of the CPVP-C thickness on the electrical characteristics of the pentacene films. It was found that the conductivities of the pentacene films on a thin CPVP-C film (10 nm) were approximately 2 orders of magnitude higher than those on a glass substrate and increased slightly with the increase in the thickness of the underlying CPVP-C film. In addition, the X-ray diffraction measurements showed that the stacking structure of pentacene molecules was remarkably enhanced by increasing the thickness of the CPVP-C film, suggesting that the increase in conductivity is due, at least in part, to the improvement in carrier mobilities caused by the growth of large pentacene grains.