Safety and Efficacy of Imeglimin for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Patients With Heart Failure.

Background/aim: Imeglimin, a novel oral antidiabetic agent, was approved in 2021 for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Phase III clinical trials demonstrated its safety and efficacy in managing T2DM. However, its safety profile in patients with heart failure has not been thoroughly evaluated in real-world clinical settings.

Excessive supraventricular ectopic activity is a simple cutoff for predicting late recurrence of atrial fibrillation after ablation.

The relationship between post-ablation excessive supraventricular ectopic activity (ESVEA), a new marker for new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF), and late AF recurrence is uncertain. We enrolled 469 patients with AF who underwent initial radiofrequency catheter ablation and 24-h Holter monitoring the day after. Early AF recurrence (n = 57; 12%) and ESVEA (n = 242; 52%) were noted.

Single-channel electroencephalography decomposition by detector-atom network and its pre-trained model.

Signal decomposition techniques utilizing multi-channel spatial features are critical for analyzing, denoising, and classifying electroencephalography (EEG) signals. To facilitate the decomposition of signals recorded with limited channels, this paper presents a novel single-channel decomposition approach that does not rely on multi-channel features. Our model posits that an EEG signal comprises short, shift-invariant waves, referred to as atoms.

New criteria for preoperative liver function assessment with safety margins to avoid postoperative mortality during liver resection for hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

Background: Despite recent medical advancements, surgery for hilar cholangiocarcinoma is associated with high complication and mortality rates. This may be partly attributed to the absence of established preoperative liver evaluation criteria for safe surgery. This study aimed to propose a reliable indicator for safe and well-planned management of major hepatectomy with extrahepatic bile duct resection.

Novel procedure for hepatic venous outflow block after liver resection: A case report.

Background: Postoperative complications like remnant hepatic vein (HV) outflow block and liver torsion can occur after right hepatectomy. Hepatic falciform ligament fixation is typically used to prevent liver torsion. We report a novel procedure to manage outflow block.

Cardiohistological Findings in Refeeding Syndrome.

Severe eating disorders may develop refeeding syndrome, which sometimes resembles severe cardiac dysfunction. A woman in her thirties was admitted to our hospital because of cardiogenic shock. Transthoracic echocardiography showed reduced left ventricular systolic function.

EsxA, a type VII secretion system-dependent effector, reveals a novel function in the sporulation of Bacillus cereus ATCC14579.

Background: Bacillus cereus is a Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium that produces a spectrum of effectors integral to bacterial niche adaptation and the development of various infections. Among those is EsxA, whose secretion depends on the EssC component of the type VII secretion system (T7SS). EsxA's roles within the bacterial cell are poorly understood, although postulations indicate that it may be involved in sporulation.

Pan-genome analysis reveals novel chromosomal markers for multiplex PCR-based specific detection of Bacillus anthracis.

Background: Bacillus anthracis is a highly pathogenic bacterium that can cause lethal infection in animals and humans, making it a significant concern as a pathogen and biological agent. Consequently, accurate diagnosis of B. anthracis is critically important for public health.

Utility of Adjunctive Impella Support to Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for a Refractory Electrical Storm.

Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) stabilizes hemodynamics in an electrical storm leading to cardiogenic shock. However, adverse effects of VA-ECMO are increased left ventricular (LV) afterload and LV end-diastolic pressure due to retrograde blood return. These adverse effects could be ameliorated by LV unloading with Impella insertion.

Chlamydia trachomatis L2 434/Bu readily activates glycolysis under hypoxia for efficient metabolism.

To understand why Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) (L2/434/Bu) favors hypoxia, we examined the dynamics of infected cells using a glycolysis-related PCR array and metabolomic analysis, along with the perturbation of nucleotide synthesis. Our findings revealed that, compared to normoxia, hypoxia with infection significantly and selectively upregulates the expression of genes related to glycolysis, glycogen degradation, and the pentose phosphate pathway. Furthermore, hypoxia induced a significant decrease in metabolite levels, particularly methionine-related metabolites, independent of infection, indicating efficient metabolism under hypoxia.

Investigation of pulmonary inflammatory responses following intratracheal instillation of and inhalation exposure to polypropylene microplastics.

Background: Microplastics have been detected in the atmosphere as well as in the ocean, and there is concern about their biological effects in the lungs. We conducted a short-term inhalation exposure and intratracheal instillation using rats to evaluate lung disorders related to microplastics. We conducted an inhalation exposure of polypropylene fine powder at a low concentration of 2 mg/m and a high concentration of 10 mg/m on 8-week-old male Fischer 344 rats for 6 h a day, 5 days a week for 4 weeks.

Remote dielectric sensing predicts elevated left atrial pressure in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Background: There are currently no established non-invasive indices of echocardiography for elevated left atrial pressure (LAP) especially in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Remote dielectric sensing (ReDS) is a novel non-invasive electromagnetic energy-based technology that quantifies total lung fluid, enabling the monitoring of volume status in patients with heart failure. The utility of ReDS for estimating LAP in patients with AF remains unknown.

Dynamics of visual attention in exploration and exploitation for reward-guided adjustment tasks.

The learning process encompasses exploration and exploitation phases. While reinforcement learning models have revealed functional and neuroscientific distinctions between these phases, knowledge regarding how they affect visual attention while observing the external environment is limited. This study sought to elucidate the interplay between these learning phases and visual attention allocation using visual adjustment tasks combined with a two-armed bandit problem tailored to detect serial effects only when attention is dispersed across both arms.

Sex Differences of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps on Lipopolysaccharide-Stimulated Human Neutrophils.

Sex differences exist in sepsis, but the commitment of neutrophils to these differences remains unclear. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) function to remove pathogens, yet excessive NETs release can contribute to organ damage. This study explores effects of the gender hormones on endotoxin-induced NETs using neutrophils from both male and female sources.

Intratracheal instillation of polyacrylic acid induced pulmonary fibrosis with elevated transforming growth factor-β1 and connective tissue growth factor.

We investigated the intratracheal instillation of Polyacrylic acid (PAA) in rats to determine if it would cause pulmonary disorders, and to see what factors would be associated with the pathological changes. Male F344 rats were intratracheally instilled with low (0.2 mg/rat) and high (1.

Cost-Effectiveness of an Intensive Upper Limb Rehabilitation Therapy for Children With Unilateral Cerebral Palsy: An Economic Evaluation of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Unilateral cerebral palsy is a major cause of childhood disability and a substantial economic burden. Intensive group-based therapy, consisting of hybrid constraint-induced movement and bimanual therapies, has been shown to be effective in improving specific quality-of-life domains in children with this disability. Our objective in this study was to assess if this intervention was cost-effective compared with standard care.

Long-lasting increases in GABA receptor subunit levels in hippocampal dentate gyrus of mice with a single systemic injection of trimethyltin.

We have recently shown delayed increases in GABA receptor (GABAR) subunit protein levels in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG), but not in the pyramidal CA1 and CA3 regions, at 15-30 days after the systemic single administration of trimethyltin (TMT) in mice. An attempt was thus made to determine whether the delayed increases return to the control levels found in naive mice afterward. In the DG on hippocampal slices obtained at 90 days after the administration, however, marked increases were still seen in protein levels of both GABAR1 and GABAR2 subunits without significant changes in calbindin and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) levels on immunoblotting analysis.

Right ventricular papillary muscle crossing the moderator band mimicked infective endocarditis: the utility of multimodal imaging.

Right-sided infective endocarditis (RSIE) generally carries a positive prognosis; however, it can result in complications such as heart failure, underscoring the importance of prompt diagnosis. While echocardiography serves as the standard diagnostic tool, it may occasionally face challenges in distinguishing between normal structures and vegetations. In this report, we present the case of a 60-year-old man diagnosed with pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis, alongside suspected coexisting RSIE.