Mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles reduce inflammatory responses to SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza viral proteins via miR-146a/NF-κB pathway.

The risk of severe disease caused by co-infection with SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus (IAV) raises an annual concern for global public health. Extracellular vesicles (EV) derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) possess anti-inflammatory properties that can attenuate the inflammatory cytokine levels induced by viral infection. However, the effects of MSC-EV treatment on SARS-CoV-2 and IAV co-infection have not been elucidated.

Morphological changes in the biliary mucosa in pediatric patients with congenital biliary dilatation are more influenced by the duration of amylase exposure than by amylase levels in the gallbladder.

Purpose: We investigated the relationship between bile amylase (AMY) levels and biliary epithelial changes in pancreaticobiliary maljunction (PBM), a congenital anomaly characterized by pancreaticobiliary reflux due to duct fusion outside the duodenal wall.

Methods: We enrolled 43 children with congenital biliary dilatation (CBD) of Todani types Ia, Ic, and IVa who underwent surgery at the Hokkaido Medical Center for Child Health and Rehabilitation between November 2007 and June 2023. We defined total AMY exposure in bile as bile AMY levels multiplied by the patient's age (months), representing amount of estimated AMY exposure until surgery.

Extracellular Vesicles Derived from Type 2 Diabetic Mesenchymal Stem Cells Induce Endothelial Mesenchymal Transition under High Glucose Conditions Through the TGFβ/Smad3 Signaling Pathway.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is associated with endothelial dysfunction, which results in delayed wound healing. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) play a vital role in supporting endothelial cells (ECs) and promoting wound healing by paracrine effects through their secretome-containing extracellular vesicles. We previously reported the impaired wound healing ability of adipose tissue-derived MSC from T2DM donors; however, whether extracellular vesicles isolated from T2DM adipose tissue-derived MSCs (dEVs) exhibit altered functions in comparison to those derived from healthy donors (nEVs) is still unclear.

Successful Antimicrobial Therapy of Esophageal Stenosis Because of Actinomycosis.

Esophageal stenosis can cause vomiting or dysphagia in children and is commonly treated with esophageal balloon dilation. However, surgery may be required if the stenosis does not respond to dilation. Although esophageal actinomycosis can cause severe esophageal strictures and be refractory to balloon dilation, it has been reported to respond effectively to antimicrobial therapy in adults.

Extracellular vesicles derived from SARS-CoV-2 M-protein-induced triple negative breast cancer cells promoted the ability of tissue stem cells supporting cancer progression.

Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 infection increases the risk of worse outcomes in cancer patients, including those with breast cancer. Our previous study reported that the SARS-CoV-2 membrane protein (M-protein) promotes the malignant transformation of triple-negative breast cancer cells (triple-negative BCC).

Methods: In the present study, the effects of M-protein on the ability of extracellular vesicles (EV) derived from triple-negative BCC to regulate the functions of tissue stem cells facilitating the tumor microenvironment were examined.

Assessment of Alcohol Exposure From Alcohol-Based Disinfectants Among Premature Infants in Neonatal Incubators in Japan.

Importance: The risk of premature infants in neonatal incubators exposed to evaporated alcohol from alcohol-based disinfectants (ABDs) is unknown.

Objective: To assess alcohol concentrations in the peripheral blood of premature infants and neonatal incubators.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A quality improvement study comparing 2 different populations before and after introduction of ABD practice (ABD-PRAC) was conducted in a neonatal intensive care unit of a single tertiary hospital in Japan.

Long-QT Syndrome with Peripartum Cardiomyopathy Causing Fatal Ventricular Arrhythmia after Delivery.

Although rare, long QT syndrome (LQTS) and peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) are the major causes of maternal cardiovascular death. We herein present a case study of a 23-year-old woman with LQTS, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and PPCM. During the postpartum period, her left ventricular systolic function had severely decreased, requiring the administration of loop diuretics.

Association between Heated Tobacco Product Use during Pregnancy and Fetal Growth in Japan: A Nationwide Web-Based Survey.

Combustible cigarette smoking impacts fetal growth during pregnancy. However, the risk associated with heated tobacco products (HTPs) remains unclear. This nationwide cross-sectional study investigated whether HTP use during pregnancy is associated with small for gestational age (SGA) outcomes among 5647 post-delivery women with singleton pregnancies, which were divided into four groups: lifetime never-smokers, former smokers before pregnancy, and current smokers for each of the tobacco products during pregnancy (sole HTP and sole combustion smokers).

Transformed extracellular vesicles with high angiogenic ability as therapeutics of distal ischemic tissues.

The therapeutic effects of endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) in neovascularization have been suggested; however, to date, few studies have been conducted on the ability of EPC-derived extracellular vesicles (EV) to rescue the ischemic tissues. In order to examine the functional sources of EV for cell-free therapy of ischemic diseases, we compared the functions of EPC-EV and those of Wharton's Jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cell (WJ-EV) in the flap mouse model. Our results demonstrated that in the intravenous injection, EPC-EV, but not WJ-EV, were uptaken by the ischemic tissues.

Extracellular vesicles derived from Wharton's Jelly mesenchymal stem cells inhibit the tumor environment via the miR-125b/HIF1α signaling pathway.

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is associated with worse outcomes and results in high mortality; therefore, great efforts are required to find effective treatment. In the present study, we suggested a novel strategy to treat TNBC using mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived extracellular vesicles (EV) to transform the behaviors and cellular communication of TNBC cells (BCC) with other non-cancer cells related to tumorigenesis and metastasis. Our data showed that, BCC after being internalized with EV derived from Wharton's Jelly MSC (WJ-EV) showed the impaired proliferation, stemness properties, tumorigenesis and metastasis under hypoxic conditions.

Obstetric venous thromboembolism: Evaluation of prophylactic approach based on risk scores, D-dimer levels, and ultrasonography findings in a tertiary hospital in Japan.

Aim: Pulmonary embolism remains a leading cause of maternal mortality in developed countries despite developments in venous thromboembolism prophylaxis strategies. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of our approach involving risk-scoring, D-dimer level assessment, and ultrasonography for obstetric venous thromboembolism.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included women who delivered at 22-41 weeks of gestation in The University of Tsukuba Hospital, Japan between January and December 2020.

The Prevalence of COVID-19 Vaccination and Vaccine Hesitancy in Pregnant Women: An Internet-based Cross-sectional Study in Japan.

Background: Reluctance of people to receive recommended vaccines is a growing concern, as distribution of vaccines is considered critical to ending the COVID-19 pandemic. There is little information regarding pregnant women's views toward coronavirus vaccination in Japan. Therefore, we investigated the vaccination rate and reasons for vaccination and vaccine hesitancy among pregnant women in Japan.

Prevalence of common aneuploidy in twin pregnancies.

The incidence of chromosomal abnormalities in twin pregnancies is not well-studied. In this retrospective study, we investigated the frequency of chromosomal abnormalities in twin pregnancies and compared the incidence of chromosomal abnormalities in dichorionic diamniotic (DD) and monochorionic diamniotic (MD) twins. We used data from 57 clinical facilities across Japan.

Evaluation of the clinical performance of noninvasive prenatal testing at a Japanese laboratory.

Aim: We aimed to evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) in high-risk pregnant women.

Methods: Pregnant women who underwent GeneTech NIPT, the most commonly used NIPT in Japan, between January 2015 and March 2019, at Japan NIPT Consortium medical sites were recruited for this study. The exclusion criteria were as follows: pregnant women with missing survey items, multiple pregnancy/vanishing twins, chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus other than the NIPT target disease, and nonreportable NIPT results.

Rectoperineal Fistula Presented 5 Months After Repair of Severe Obstetric Perineal Laceration: A Case Report.

Obstetric severe perineal laceration can frequently occur as a surgical site infection (SSI), which sometimes leads to rectovaginal fistula after repair. We encountered a rare case of a rectoperineal fistula 5 months after repair of a severe perineal laceration. The patient was a 39-year-old woman who underwent repair of a fourth-degree perineal laceration after vaginal delivery.

The evidence of a macrophage barrier in the xenotransplantation of human hematopoietic stem cells to severely immunodeficient rats.

Background: The human-to-rat hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) model is rare, unlike its human-to-mouse counterpart. The rat models are desired, especially in areas of physiology, toxicology, and pharmacology. In addition to lymphocytes, macrophages are also considered to be important for xenotransplantation.

Wharton's Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Reduce SARS-CoV2-Induced Inflammatory Cytokines Under High Glucose and Uremic Toxin Conditions.

Cytokine storm is recognized as one of the factors contributing to organ failures and mortality in patients with COVID-19. Due to chronic inflammation, COVID-19 patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) or renal disease (RD) have more severe symptoms and higher mortality. However, the factors that contribute to severe outcomes of COVID-19 patients with DM and RD have received little attention.

Poor uterine contractility and postpartum hemorrhage among low-risk women: A case-control study of a large-scale database from Japan.

Objective: To examine the association between the risk of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) and poor uterine contractility, which is suggested by the characteristics of labor.

Methods: This case-control study used cases recorded in the Japan Perinatal Registry database during the period 2013-2016. After exclusion of women with specified known risk factors for PPH, we enrolled 174 082 primiparas who had a full-term live singleton vaginal birth.

Efficacy and safety of controlled-release dinoprostone vaginal delivery system (PROPESS) in Japanese pregnant women requiring cervical ripening: Results from a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III study.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of dinoprostone vaginal insert (PROPESS) in pregnant post-term Japanese women requiring cervical ripening.

Methods: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study included 114 pregnant Japanese women at term (41 weeks of gestation) requiring cervical ripening (baseline Bishop score (BS) ≤ 4). The primary end-point was the proportion of subjects with successful cervical ripening defined as BS ≥ 7 or vaginal delivery in 12 h.

Anti-glomerular Basement Membrane Glomerulonephritis During the First Trimester of Pregnancy.

A 28-year-old woman was admitted during the eighth week of her pregnancy because her clinical course was consistent with rapid progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN). Anti-glomerular basement membrane antibody (anti-GBM Ab) and myeloperoxidase anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (MPO-ANCA) were positive, and the anti-GBM Ab titer being extremely high. She was treated with hemodialysis, plasma exchange and prednisolone.

High prevalence of intrapelvic parasitic arteries in patients with placenta accreta spectrum: A case-control study using unenhanced magnetic resonance angiography.

Purpose: To compare the prevalence of enlarged ovarian and intrapelvic parasitic arteries to the gravid uterus between cases of placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) and those with normal placentation using unenhanced magnetic resonance (MR) angiography.

Methods: Unenhanced time-of-flight MR angiography was performed in 12 consecutive women with PAS (mean age, 34 years; range, 23-42 years) and 24 women with normal placentation (mean age, 31 years; range, 24-42 years) in their third trimester and reviewed by two independent observers. The consensus reading served as the reference standard.