Efficacy and safety of switching therapy from chenodeoxycholic acid to cholic acid in Japanese patients with bile acid synthesis disorders.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of cholic acid (CA) treatment over 74 weeks in Japanese patients with inherited enzymatic bile acid synthesis disorders (BASD).

Methods: This phase 3, open-label, single-arm study enrolled four Japanese patients diagnosed with BASD, including two with 3β-hydroxy- -C-steroid dehydrogenase/isomerase (HSD3B7) deficiency and two with -3-oxosteroid 5β-reductase (SRD5B1) deficiency. The patients had received chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) treatment but were switched to CA treatment.

Assessment of Perceptions of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine Among Japanese Healthcare Professional University Students Using Text Mining Analysis.

Objective: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is crucial, particularly for preventing cervical cancer. This study aimed to assess the perceptions of HPV vaccination among healthcare university students in Okayama City, Japan, with the goal of promoting HPV vaccination in the future.

Methods: The study enrolled 168 students (94 male students and 74 female students, median age: 20 (minimum: 18, maximum: 27)) from a healthcare university in Okayama, Japan.

Investigation and evaluation of gastrointestinal toxicity biomarkers in rats with different sites of gastrointestinal injury.

There are few reliable biomarkers for gastrointestinal toxicity, and the further identification of such markers can improve the accuracy and speed of toxicological evaluations. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of several recently proposed biomarkers-plasma citrulline, fecal calprotectin, fecal bile acid, and plasma miRNAs (miR-194 and -215)-in detecting intestinal toxicity. To this end, cysteamine hydrocholoride (cysteamine, 600 or 900 mg/kg, PO), indomethacin (10 mg/kg, PO), or 2,4-Dinitrobenzenesulfonic acid hydrate (DNBS, 20 mg/kg, IR) were administered to male Wistar rats to establish models of gastric/duodenal, jejunum/ileum, or colonic damage, respectively.

Fecal fatty acid-linked bile acid profiles in pediatric patients with ulcerative colitis.

Objective: Effect of gut dysbiosis on fatty acid (FA) linked 3β-hydroxy-bile acid esters (FA-isoBAs) formation is currently unknown. This study aimed to investigate the profile of FA-isoBAs in fecal samples from pediatric patients with ulcerative colitis (UC).

Methods: Fecal samples were collected from seven pediatric patients diagnosed with UC and seven age-matched healthy controls.

Relationships Between Various Parameters of Prolonged Sedentary Bouts and Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) in Patients on Chronic Hemodialysis: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Previous studies have revealed that sedentary behavior, including quantitative and qualitative parameters, was associated with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients on chronic hemodialysis.

Objective: The present study examined the relationships between various parameters of prolonged sedentary bouts on non-hemodialysis days and HRQOL in patients on chronic hemodialysis.

Methods:  A total of 110 patients (47.

Assessment of anti-Müllerian hormone levels as a reproductive indicator in Japanese Black cattle.

The size of the ovarian reserve, an indicator of the number of primordial follicles, varies widely among individuals, and declines with age. However, the association between the ovarian reserve and fertility remains unclear. Therefore, in the present study, we analyzed the relationship between plasma concentrations of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), a marker of ovarian reserve, and reproductive outcomes in Japanese Black cattle.

Navigating cholestasis: identifying inborn errors of bile acid metabolism for precision diagnosis.

Inborn errors of bile acid metabolism (IEBAM) cause cholestasis during the neonatal period, and 8 types of IEBAM have been reported to date. IEBAM accounts for approximately 2% of cases of cholestasis of unknown cause. As only 10 patients have been identified in Japan, IEBAM presents diagnostic challenges due to the similarity of clinical symptoms with biliary atresia, thus necessitating precise differentiation to avoid unnecessary invasive procedures.

Comparison of Impressions of COVID-19 Vaccinations Stratified by the Number of Vaccinations Among Japanese Healthcare Professional University Students.

Objective: Coronavirus infectious disease, that emerged in 2019 (COVID-19) has been a major public health issue not only in Japan, but also worldwide, and the implementation of a proper vaccination strategy has been important. To promote vaccination, the present study compared impressions of COVID-19 vaccinations stratified by the number of vaccinations among healthcare professional university students in Okayama, Japan, and suggests better vaccination strategies.

Method: A total of 212 Japanese healthcare professional university students were enrolled in this clinical qualitative study using the text mining method.

Rapid assessment of the immunogenicity potential of engineered antibody therapeutics through detection of CD4 T cell interleukin-2 secretion.

Therapeutic antibodies sometimes elicit anti-drug antibodies (ADAs) that can affect efficacy and safety. Engineered antibodies that contain artificial amino acid sequences are potentially highly immunogenic, but this is currently difficult to predict. Therefore, it is important to efficiently assess immunogenicity during the development of complex antibody-based formats.

Comparison of Impressions of COVID-19 Vaccination and Influenza Vaccination in Japan by Analyzing Social Media Using Text Mining.

The aim of this study was to compare impressions of COVID-19 vaccination and influenza vaccination in Japan by analyzing social media (Twitter) using a text-mining method. We obtained 10,000 tweets using the keywords "corona vaccine" and "influenza vaccine" on 15 December 2022 and 19 February 2023. We then counted the number of times the words were used and listed frequency of these words by a text-mining method called KH Coder.

Distribution of Signal Peptides in Microvesicles from Activated Macrophage Cells.

Extracellular vesicles, such as microvesicles (LEV) and exosomes (SEV), play an important role in intercellular signaling by encapsulating functional molecules and delivering them to specific cells. Recent studies showed that signal peptides (SPs), which are derived from sequences at the N-terminal of newly synthesized proteins, exhibited biological activity in the extracellular fluid. We previously reported that SPs were secreted into the extracellular fluid via SEV; however, it remains unclear whether the release of SPs occurs via LEV.

Production of recombinant His-tagged triple-FLAG peptide in Brevibacillus choshinensis and its utilization as an easy-to-remove affinity peptide.

Triple-FLAG (3 × FLAG)-tagged proteins can be affinity purified through binding to an anti-FLAG antibody and competitive elution with excess free 3 × FLAG peptide. To expand the availability of the 3 × FLAG purification system, we produced a recombinant His-tagged 3 × FLAG peptide in Brevibacillus choshinensis. The screening of connecting linkers between His-tag and the 3 × FLAG peptide, culture containers, and culture media showed that the His-tagged 3 × FLAG peptide with an LA linker was most expressed in 2SY medium using a baffled shake flask.

Prolonged Sedentary Bouts Are Critically Involved in All-Cause Mortality in Patients on Chronic Hemodialysis: A Prospective Cohort Study.

We investigated the link between prolonged sedentary bouts and all-cause mortality in patients on chronic hemodialysis, using a prospective cohort. A total of 104 outpatients on chronic hemodialysis from 2013 to 2019, aged 71.4±11.

Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Its Relationship with Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

The present study investigated the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and its relationship with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. A total of 421 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who completely met the inclusion criteria, aged 67.3 ± 12.

Calmodulin as a Key Regulator of Exosomal Signal Peptides.

Signal peptides (SPs) and their fragments play important roles as biomarkers and substances with physiological functions in extracellular fluid. We previously reported that SP fragments were released into extracellular fluid via exosomes and bound to calmodulin (CaM), an exosomal component, in a cell-free system. However, it currently remains unclear whether CaM intracellularly interacts with SP fragments or is involved in the trafficking of these fragments to exosomes.

Problematic internet use and attachment styles among adolescents in Japan.

Background: Problematic Internet use (PIU) remains a significant social concern in Japan and across the globe. Numerous studies have been conducted to examine the prevalence of PIU, and its association with lifestyle habits and mental health status. To the best of our knowledge, few studies have examined the association between parental attachment and PIU in Japan.

Malic Enzyme, not Malate Dehydrogenase, Mainly Oxidizes Malate That Originates from the Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle in Cyanobacteria.

Oxygenic photoautotrophic bacteria, cyanobacteria, have the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and metabolite production using the cyanobacterial TCA cycle has been spotlighted recently. The unicellular cyanobacterium sp. strain PCC 6803 ( 6803) has been used in various studies on the cyanobacterial TCA cycle.

Transcutaneous bilirubin-based screening reduces the need for blood exchange transfusion in Myanmar newborns: A single-center, retrospective study.

Background: Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia is a significant health problem in Myanmar. We introduced transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) measurements in 2017 and developed an hour-specific TcB nomogram for early detection and treatment of hyperbilirubinemia in Myanmar neonates. This study aimed to evaluate whether our screening method for hyperbilirubinemia decreased the requirement of blood exchange therapy (ET).

Comparison of biological measurement and physical estimates of space radiation in the International Space Station.

Nowadays, ordinary people can travel in space, and the possibility of extended durations in an environment such as moon of the Earth and Mars with higher space radiation exposures compared to past missions, is increasing. Until now, the physical doses of space radiation have been measured, but measurement of direct biological effects has been hampered by its low dose and low dose-rate effect. To assess the biological effects of space radiation, we launched and kept frozen mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells in minus eighty degree Celsius freezer in ISS (MELFI) on the International Space Station (ISS) for a maximum of 1,584 days.

Pre-Impressions of the Third COVID-19 Vaccination among Medical Staff: A Text Mining-Based Survey.

The aim of this study was to investigate the pre-impressions of the third Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination among Japanese medical staff using quantitative analysis. Among 413 medical staff, 260 (60 men and 200 women) aged 40.4 ± 12.

Relation between Prolonged Sedentary Bouts and Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients on Chronic Hemodialysis.

This study aimed to investigate the link between prolonged sedentary bouts and health-related quality of life (QOL) in patients on chronic hemodialysis (CHD). A total of 84 outpatients on CHD, aged 71.6±11.

Signal Sequence-Dependent Orientation of Signal Peptide Fragments to Exosomes.

Signal peptides (SPs) not only mediate targeting to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) but also play important roles as biomarkers and substances with physiological activity in extracellular fluids including blood. SPs are thought to be degraded intracellularly, making it unclear how they are transported from the ER to the extracellular fluid. In a recent study, we showed that a C-terminal fragment of the SP of a type I membrane protein, amyloid precursor protein (APP), was secreted into the extracellular fluid via exosomes using transformed HEK293 cells expressing APP SP flanking a reporter protein.