Pre-stroke patient characteristics that influence skeletal muscle quality: A cross-sectional study.

Aim: One of the parameters that is measurable using bioelectrical impedance is the phase angle (PhA), which is an indicator of skeletal muscle quality. The PhA reflects cellular health and nutritional status and is an important parameter for monitoring recovery after stroke. However, the factors affecting skeletal muscle quality remain unclear.

Trans-nuclei CRISPR/Cas9: safe approach for genome editing in the edible mushroom excluding foreign DNA sequences.

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9)-assisted genome editing has been applied to several major edible agaricomycetes, enabling efficient gene targeting. This method is promising for rapid and efficient breeding to isolate high-value cultivars and overcome cultivation challenges. However, the integration of foreign DNA fragments during this process raises concerns regarding genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and their regulatory restrictions.

A Case of Rapid Emergence of Small-cell Carcinoma due to Malignant Transformation or de novo Formation in the Anterior Mediastinum Following Thymoma Resection: The Importance of a Re-biopsy.

A 59-year-old woman presented with multiple mediastinal masses 6 months after post-thymectomy for type B2 thymoma. A diagnosis of small-cell carcinoma (SmCC) via a computed tomography-guided biopsy and fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography revealed no primary lesions outside the anterior mediastinum. The pathologically reevaluated post-thymectomy specimen showed no neuroendocrine differentiation.

Arterial supply to the adrenal gland in the common marmoset ().

The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) has attracted much attention as a nonhuman primate animal model for stress-related experiments. The adrenal gland plays a key role in stress responses and has abundant vasculature, through which the hypothalamic-pituitary axis hormonally controls its activity. Understanding the arterial supply pattern to the gland is fundamental to understanding its function and performing experiments.

Effect of Low-dose Administration of Carperitide for Acute Heart Failure: the LASCAR-AHF trial.

Background: The effects of low-dose carperitide on long-term clinical outcomes of patients with acute heart failure (AHF) have not yet been fully elucidated. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of low-dose intravenous carperitide on the long-term clinical outcomes of patients with AHF.

Methods: In this multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled trial, 247 patients with AHF received low-dose carperitide intravenously with standard treatment or a matching standard treatment for 72 h from November 2014 to March 2021 across nine sites in Japan.

Fatal visceral disseminated varicella zoster virus infection during initial remission induction therapy in a patient with lupus nephritis: a case report and review of the literature.

Visceral disseminated varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection is a severe complication, characterized by a notably high mortality rate. Herein, we present a case of a 36-year-old-man involving visceral disseminated VZV infection that emerged during remission induction therapy involving high-dose prednisolone (PSL), mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), and hydroxychloroquine for lupus nephritis. Two months after starting the immunosuppressive therapy, he experienced a rapid onset of severe upper abdominal pain.

Association Between Geographic Location and Radiotherapy Treatment Delay in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Retrospective Study.

In head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treatment, extended waiting times for chemoradiotherapy negatively impact survival outcomes. Identifying contributing factors to these delays and strategies to minimize them could improve the prognosis for HNSCC patients. However, the factors affecting treatment delays remain incompletely understood, warranting further investigation.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsy needle can facilitate histological diagnosis of type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis.

Background: The choice between 22-gauge endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsy (EUS-FNB) and EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) for histological diagnosis of type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is unclear. We retrospectively examined the detection rate of histological findings for AIP using EUS-FNA/FNB.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with type 1 AIP using EUS-FNB (Franseen needle) or EUS-FNA (conventional needle) with 22-gauge needles at our hospital between 2012 and 2023 were included in this study.

Head-to-head comparison among FAST, MAST, and multiparametric MRI-based new score in diagnosing at-risk MASH.

Objectives: New scores were developed to identify at-risk metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) using multiparametric MRI (mpMRI).

Materials And Methods: A prospective study was conducted on 176 patients with suspected or diagnosed metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) paired with an MR scan, vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE), and liver biopsy. Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), proton density fat fraction (PDFF), and mpMRI-based corrected T1 (cT1) were combined to develop a one-step strategy, named MPcT (MRE + PDFF + cT1, combined score), and a two-step strategy-MRE-based LSM followed by PDFF with cT1 (M-PcT, paired score) for diagnosing at-risk MASH.

Disruption of the pkac2 gene in Pleurotus ostreatus alters cell wall structures and enables mycelial dispersion in liquid culture.

In this study, we developed a mycelial dispersion strain by disrupting the pkac2 gene in the white-rot fungus Pleurotus ostreatus. pkac2 is a catalytic subunit gene of protein kinase A, which regulates several transcription factors related to cell wall synthesis. Liquid cultures of the Δpkac2 strains showed very high mycelial dispersibility and were visibly different from the wild-type (WT) strain.

Temporal change in minimum mortality temperature under changing climate: A multicountry multicommunity observational study spanning 1986-2015.

Background: The minimum mortality temperature (MMT) or MMT percentile (MMTP) is an indicator of population susceptibility to nonoptimum temperatures. MMT and MMTP change over time; however, the changing directions show region-wide heterogeneity. We examined the heterogeneity of temporal changes in MMT and MMTP across multiple communities and in multiple countries.

Gallein, G protein βγ subunits inhibitor, suppresses the TGF-α-induced migration of hepatocellular carcinoma cells via inhibition of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase.

G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling regulates a wide range of pathophysiological cell functions via G protein α and βγ subunits. Small molecules targeting the subunits of Gα and Gβγ have been developed as cancer therapeutics. We have previously reported that transforming growth factor-α (TGF-α) induces the migration of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) HuH7 cells through the activation of AKT, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), Rho-kinase and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK).

Meteorological factors, population immunity, and COVID-19 incidence: A global multi-city analysis.

Objectives: While COVID-19 continues to challenge the world, meteorological variables are thought to impact COVID-19 transmission. Previous studies showed evidence of negative associations between high temperature and absolute humidity on COVID-19 transmission. Our research aims to fill the knowledge gap on the modifying effect of vaccination rates and strains on the weather-COVID-19 association.

Effects of hap2 deletion on mnp/vp transcription in Pleurotus ostreatus grown on lignocellulosic substrates.

The regulatory mechanisms governing expression of genes encoding lignin-modifying enzymes (LME) in white-rot fungi remain largely unexplored. Although molecular cloning has identified CCAAT-boxes frequently located 5'-upstream of these genes, their role in transcriptional regulation is not well understood. This study examines the function of hap2, a gene encoding a hypothetical protein homologous to a component of the CCAAT-binding Hap complex, in the white-rot fungus Pleurotus ostreatus.

Poly(vinyl alcohol) potentiating an inert d-amino acid-based drug for boron neutron capture therapy.

Since the discovery of d-amino acids, they have been considered inactive and have not been used as potent drugs. Here, we report that simple mixing with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) unleashed latent potentials of d-amino acids in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). PVA formed boronate esters with seemingly useless boronated d-amino acids and induced tumor-associated amino acid transporter-superselective internalization and prolonged intracellular retention, accomplishing complete cure of tumors.

Synthesis and Optimization of Ethylenediamine-Based Zwitterion on Polymer Side Chain for Recognizing Narrow Tumorous pH Windows.

Polyzwitterions that show the alternation of net charge in response to external stimuli have attracted great attention as a new class of surface-polymers on nanomedicines. However, the correlation between their detailed molecular structures and expression of antifouling properties under physiological condition remain controversial. Herein, we synthesized a series of ethylenediamine-based polyzwitterions with carboxy groups/sulfonic groups and ethylene, propylene, and butylene spacers as potential surface-polymers for nanomedicines, allowing sensitive recognition of tumor acidic environments (pH = 6.

Increased response to granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor in peripheral blood cells and transient manifestations mimicking juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia in a male patient with NEMO deficiency caused by a deep intronic pathogenic variant of IKBKG.

X-linked NF-κB essential modulator (NEMO) deficiency is a primary immunodeficiency characterized by combined immunodeficiency and ectodermal dysplasia. Monocytes from the patients demonstrate a severely impaired response to tissue necrosis factor or lipopolysaccharide, whereas hyper-inflammation is found in some patients. Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) is a pediatric malignancy caused by hypersensitivity to granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and aberrant RAS signaling activation.

Proposing adjustments to heat safety thresholds for junior high and high school sports clubs in Japan.

With higher temperatures expected in the future due to global climate change, addressing health risks such as heat illness is increasingly important. In Japan, thousands of heat illness cases occur annually during school sports club activities. The risk may vary by sport, location, and region, but how heat safety thresholds (HSTs) should be adjusted to provide effective guidelines remains uncertain.

Non-optimal temperature-attributable mortality and morbidity burden by cause, age and sex under climate and population change scenarios: a nationwide modelling study in Japan.

Background: Future temperature effects on mortality and morbidity may differ. However, studies comparing projected future temperature-attributable mortality and morbidity in the same setting are limited. Moreover, these studies did not consider future population change, human adaptation, and the variations in subpopulation susceptibility.

A successful surgical repair for supravalvular aortic stenosis with a bicuspid valve and malpositioned coronary orifices by partial Brom's technique: a case report.

Background: Supravalvular aortic stenosis (SVAS) is a relatively rare form of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, often accompanied by other cardiac conditions. However, a standard surgical reparative technique has not been established and repairing SVAS remains challenging.

Case Presentation: We repaired SVAS of a 3-year-old boy accompanied by a bicuspid aortic valve and malpositioned coronary orifices by partial Brom's technique with two glutaraldehyde-treated autologous pericardial patches, using recent advanced preoperative information, including geometric and effective heights.

Possibility of refining carotenoid geometrical isomer analysis utilizing DFT-based quantum chemical calculations.

We performed quantum chemical calculations based on the density functional theory (DFT) for the all-E- and several Z-isomers of three commercially important carotenoids (lycopene, β-carotene, and astaxanthin) and theoretically obtained the UV-Vis spectrum, response factor (determined from absorption intensities of the all-E- and the Z-isomers), and Q-ratio for each carotenoid isomer. The calculated spectra reproduced the experimental spectral shapes (e.g.