Usefulness of bronchial sputum aspirate specimens for the diagnosis of Non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease.

Background: The usefulness of bronchoscopy for the diagnosis of NTM pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) has been reported. However, performing bronchoscopy for aspirated sputum and airway secretion specimens (sputum aspirate specimens) in the region extending from the trachea down to the orifice of each segmental bronchus has been poorly documented. We evaluated the diagnostic yield of sputum aspirate specimens collected from the central airway using bronchoscopy.

Final Report of Trends in Pregnancy and Birth Survey after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident: The Fukushima Health Management Survey.

This study aimed to assess long-term changes in pregnancy and birth outcomes after the Great East Japan Earthquake and the accident at the Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Fukushima Prefecture.　This is the final report on perinatal outcomes of the Prefectural Health Survey, which ended after a 10-year observation period.　Questionnaires based on a pregnancy and birth survey conducted by the Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey were sent to women who had received maternal and child health handbooks from municipal officers in Fukushima Prefecture.

Loss of function in causes DNA methylation signature similar to that in Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome.

Purpose: Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS), a contiguous gene syndrome caused by heterozygous deletions of the distal short arm of chromosome 4 that includes , reportedly causes specific DNA methylation signatures in peripheral blood cells. However, the genomic loci responsible for these signatures have not been elucidated. The present study aims to define the loci underlying WHS-related DNA methylation signatures and explore the role of in these signatures.

Reevaluation of the Suitability of Xe Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy for Pore Size Determination in Porous Carbon Materials.

Xenon isotope nuclear magnetic resonance (Xe-NMR) spectroscopy has been widely used to evaluate the pore structure of materials. However, determining how to apply this technique to investigate porous carbon materials is sometimes challenging, partly due to the structural disorder and heterogeneity of the surface properties of these materials, and partly due to the lack of reliable methods for controlling and assessing the density of adsorbed Xe. In this study, we designed and constructed a temperature- and pressure-controllable Xe-NMR system to evaluate the interaction between activated carbon (AC) and adsorbed Xe molecules.

Efficacy and Validity of Percutaneous Transhepatic Gallbladder Drainage as a Bridge to Surgery for Octogenarian and Older Patients With Acute Cholecystitis: A Single-Center Retrospective Observational Study in Japan.

Background: Japan currently has a super-aged society, with a rapid increase in elderly patients in need of medical care. Determining treatment strategies for acute cholecystitis (AC) in very elderly patients with various comorbidities is often difficult. Although percutaneous cholecystostomy (PC) is a less-invasive treatment option, its impact on subsequent surgery remains debatable.