Association between physical multimorbidity in middle adulthood and mortality: findings from two large cohort studies in Japan.

Background: While previous literature suggests that multimorbidity is linked to a higher risk of mortality, evidence is scarce among individuals in middle adulthood. We aimed to examine the association between physical multimorbidity and all-cause mortality among individuals aged 40-64 years at baseline in Japan.

Methods: Data were obtained from two cohort studies, the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study (JPHC) and the Japan Epidemiology Collaboration on Occupational Health Study (J-ECOH).

Impact of thermal denaturation on renal volume reduction after partial nephrectomy using soft coagulation hemostasis.

Partial nephrectomy has become the gold standard treatment for small renal masses. This study aimed to assess the impact of soft coagulation hemostasis on parenchymal volume reduction of the operated kidney after an open partial nephrectomy. We retrospectively reviewed 94 patients with small renal tumors who underwent open partial nephrectomy with soft-coagulation hemostasis at our institution.

The Impact on Patient Prognosis of Changes to the Method of Notifying Staff About Accepting Patients With Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest.

Background: Our hospital is a designated emergency hospital and accepts many patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Previously, after receiving a direct call from emergency services to request acceptance of an OHCA patient, the emergency room (ER) chief nurse notified medical staff. However, this method delayed ER preparations, so a Code Blue system (CB) was introduced in which the pending arrival of an OHCA patient was broadcast throughout the hospital.

Blood DNA virome associates with autoimmune diseases and COVID-19.

Aberrant immune responses to viral pathogens contribute to pathogenesis, but our understanding of pathological immune responses caused by viruses within the human virome, especially at a population scale, remains limited. We analyzed whole-genome sequencing datasets of 6,321 Japanese individuals, including patients with autoimmune diseases (psoriasis vulgaris, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) or multiple sclerosis) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), or healthy controls. We systematically quantified two constituents of the blood DNA virome, endogenous HHV-6 (eHHV-6) and anellovirus.

Identifying non-responders to cardiac resynchronization therapy in the non-left bundle branch block.

Background: Non-response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is an important issue in the treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and non-left bundle branch block (LBBB). Electrocardiogram-gated myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography imaging (G-MPI SPECT) is typically used to assess left ventricular (LV) dyssynchrony. This study aimed to determine whether G-MPI parameters are associated with non-responsiveness to CRT.

Robot-assisted radical cystectomy using real-time transrectal ultrasound guidance in a patient who had radical prostatectomy and salvage external beam radiation therapy.

Introduction: Radical cystectomy for patients who previously underwent both radical prostatectomy and prostatic bed radiation is technically challenging.

Case Presentation: A 78-year-old man with a history of radical prostatectomy and salvage radiation for prostate cancer was referred to our hospital for radical treatment of bladder cancer. After two cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, he underwent robot-assisted radical cystectomy with real-time transrectal ultrasound guidance during dissection of the rectovesical space to minimize the risk of rectal injury.

Nicotinamide mononucleotide boosts the development of bovine oocyte by enhancing mitochondrial function and reducing chromosome lagging.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(H)) and its metabolites function as crucial regulators of physiological processes, allowing cells to adapt to environmental changes such as nutritional deficiencies, genotoxic factors, disruptions in circadian rhythms, infections, inflammation, and exogenous substances. Here, we investigated whether elevated NAD(H) levels in oocytes enhance their quality and improve developmental competence following in vitro fertilization (IVF). Bovine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were matured in a culture medium supplemented with 0-100 μM nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), a precursor of NAD(H).

Association of interstitial lung abnormalities with cytotoxic agent-induced pneumonitis in patients with malignancy.

Background And Objective: The association between interstitial lung abnormalities (ILA) and various conditions and diseases, including drug-related pneumonitis (DRP), has been reported. However, the association of the presence of ILA with developing DRP in patients undergoing cytotoxic agent-based chemotherapy, one of the standard treatments for malignancies, remains unclear. This warrants urgent investigation.

Comparative analysis of intraoperative MRI and early postoperative MRI findings in glioma surgery patients.

Objective: The extent of resection (EOR) is an important prognostic factor for both low- and high-grade gliomas. Intraoperative MRI (iMRI) has been used to increase the EOR in glioma surgery. While a recent study reported differences between iMRI and early postoperative MRI (epMRI), their specific relationship to postoperative clinical symptoms remains unclear.

Noise Reduction in Brain CT: A Comparative Study of Deep Learning and Hybrid Iterative Reconstruction Using Multiple Parameters.

Objectives: We evaluated the noise reduction effects of deep learning reconstruction (DLR) and hybrid iterative reconstruction (HIR) in brain computed tomography (CT).

Methods: CT images of a 16 cm dosimetry phantom, a head phantom, and the brains of 11 patients were reconstructed using filtered backprojection (FBP) and various levels of DLR and HIR. The slice thickness was 5, 2.

STIL Overexpression Is Associated with Chromosomal Numerical Abnormalities in Non-Small-Cell Lung Carcinoma Through Centrosome Amplification.

STIL is a regulatory protein essential for centriole biogenesis, and its dysregulation has been implicated in various diseases, including malignancies. However, its role in non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) remains unclear. In this study, we examined STIL expression and its potential association with chromosomal numerical abnormalities (CNAs) in NSCLC using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset, immunohistochemical analysis, and in vitro experiments with NSCLC cell lines designed to overexpress STIL.

Wound, Pressure Ulcer, and Burn Guidelines-5: Guidelines for the management of lower leg ulcers and varicose veins, second edition.

"Wound, Pressure Ulcer, and Burn Guidelines-5: Guidelines for the management of lower leg ulcers and varicose veins, second edition" is revised from the first edition, which was published in the Japanese Journal of Dermatology in 2011. The guidelines were drafted by the Wound, Pressure Ulcer, and Burn Guidelines Drafting Committee delegated by the Japanese Dermatological Association and intend to facilitate physicians' clinical decisions in preventing, diagnosing and management of lower leg ulcers and varicose veins. We updated all sections by collecting documents published since the publication of the first edition.

Fish environmental RNA sequencing sensitively captures accumulative stress responses through short-term aquarium sampling.

The utility of environmental RNA (eRNA) in capturing biological responses to stresses has been discussed previously; however, the limited number of genes detected remains a significant hindrance to its widespread implementation. Here, we investigated the potential of eRNA to assess the health status of Japanese medaka fish exposed to linear alkylbenzene sulfonate. Analyzing eRNA and organismal RNA (oRNA) in aquarium water within 12 h, we achieved high mapping rates and 10 times more differentially expressed genes than previously reported.

Real-World Safety, Tolerability and Effectiveness of Nintedanib in Patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: Final Report of Post-marketing Surveillance in Japan.

Introduction: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive, fibrotic interstitial pneumonia, which is characterised by progressive worsening of dyspnoea and lung function. Nintedanib treatment is recommended to slow IPF disease progression. The aim of this post-marketing surveillance (PMS) study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of nintedanib over 24 months in patients with IPF in a real-world setting in Japan.

The safety and feasibility of robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy: A multicenter retrospective assessment of 425 patients in Japan.

Background/purpose: The Japanese public health insurance system has recently covered robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy (RPD). This study aimed to review the results of RPD during the introductory period and elucidate its safety and feasibility in Japan.

Methods: Consecutive data of 425 patients who underwent RPD were retrospectively collected from 10 high-volume centers in Japan between April 2020 and September 2022.

Enhancing D-lactic acid production by optimizing the expression of D-LDH gene in methylotrophic yeast Komagataella phaffii.

Background: Currently, efficient technologies producing useful chemicals from alternative carbon resources, such as methanol, to replace petroleum are in demand. The methanol-utilizing yeast, Komagataella phaffii, is a promising microorganism to produce chemicals from methanol using environment-friendly microbial processes. In this study, to achieve efficient D-lactic acid production from methanol, we investigated a combination of D-lactate dehydrogenase (D-LDH) genes and promoters in K.

Separate and combined blockades of α- and β-adrenergic receptors in forearm sweating induced by adrenergic agents and exercise in the heat in young adults.

The assessment of adrenergic modulation of sweating as assessed via pharmacologic administration of α- and β-adrenergic receptor blockers during exercise has yielded mixed findings. However, the underlying mechanisms for this disparity remains unresolved. We investigated the effects of separate and combined blockade of α- and β-adrenergic receptors on forearm sweating induced by a 30-min moderate-intensity exercise bout (n=17, protocol 1) and the administration of adrenergic agonists epinephrine and norepinephrine (n=16, protocol 2) in the heat.

Efficacy and safety of baricitinib in rheumatoid arthritis patients with moderate renal impairment: a multicenter propensity score matching study.

Background: This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of baricitinib in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) receiving different doses based on renal function.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study within the JAK Study Group, involving 23 facilities in Fukuoka Prefecture, examining patients treated with baricitinib for RA. Patients were categorized into two dose groups: 4 mg with normal/mild renal dysfunction and 2 mg with moderate renal dysfunction.

Association between the HAL score and the development of progressive pulmonary fibrosis in idiopathic interstitial pneumonia: A prospective observational study.

Background: Progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) is a critical concern in interstitial lung disease (ILD) management. The HAL score, which incorporates honeycombing (H), age >75 years (A), and serum lactate dehydrogenase >222 U/L (L), can predict acute exacerbations in patients with idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP). This study aims to evaluate the predictive utility of the HAL score for PPF development.

Macrophage-like Blood Cells Are Involved in Inter-Tissue Communication to Activate JAK/STAT Signaling, Inducing Antitumor Turandot Proteins in Fat Body via the TNF-JNK Pathway.

Turandot (Tot) family proteins, which are induced via the JAK/STAT pathway after infection, also suppress lymph gland tumors in mutant larvae. We investigated the potential role of hemocytes in induction in tumor-bearing mutants via immunostaining and RNAi experiments. Normal hemocytes transplanted into mutant larvae were recruited to the tumor and fat body (FB), suggesting that these cells transmit tumor-related information.

Development of the dementia attitude scale focusing on well-being.

Introduction: This study aimed to develop the Dementia Attitude Scale Focusing on well-being (DASFWB) and to verify its reliability and validity. This scale measures the factors that individuals without dementia would consider important for their well-being if they were to develop dementia. It is expected to serve as a useful indicator for intervention strategies aimed at achieving an inclusive society.

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.

Quality control of corn silk extract using IR spectroscopy along with statistical methods.

Aqueous extracts of corn silk exhibit glycation-inhibitory activity. Lignin is the active component of these extracts. As corn silk is highly nutritious and has medicinal value, it can be used as a functional food and cosmetics.