Caser Report: A Rare Case of Pulmonary Nocardiosis Caused by Nocardia pseudobrasiliensis After Liver Transplantation.

Nocardia is a gram-positive bacillus with the microscopic appearance of branching hyphae and is mainly distributed in the soil. Nocardiosis more frequently occurs in immunosuppressed patients. Since nocardiosis has a high mortality rate, immediate diagnosis and treatment are needed.

Proposal of Simplified Standardization of the Cell-Growth-Promoting Activity of Human Adipose Tissue Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Culture Supernatants.

The conditioned medium (CM) obtained from mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) culture has excellent cell growth-promoting activity and is used for cosmetics and healthcare products. Unlike pharmaceuticals, strict efficacy verification is not legally required for these products. However, their efficacy must be substantiated as commercial products.

Reduced Gene Expression of KCC2 Accelerates Axonal Regeneration and Reduces Motor Dysfunctions after Tibial Nerve Severance and Suturing.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid and glycine (GABA/Gly) are predominantly inhibitory neurotransmitters in the mature central nervous system; however, they mediate membrane potential depolarization during development. These differences in actions depend on intracellular Cl concentrations ([Cl]), which are primarily regulated by potassium chloride cotransporter 2 (KCC2). After nerve injury, KCC2 expression markedly decreases and GABA/Gly mediate depolarization.

The correlation between immune-related adverse events and efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized cancer treatment by targeting the cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 and programmed death-1/ligand-1. Although immune checkpoint inhibitors show promising therapeutic efficacy, they often cause immune-related adverse events. Immune-related adverse events differ from the side effects of conventional chemotherapy and require vigilant monitoring.

A bispecific antibody targeting HLA-DQ2.5-gluten peptides potently blocks gluten-specific T cells induced by gluten ingestion in patients with celiac disease.

Unlabelled: The gluten-free diet for celiac disease (CeD) is restrictive and often fails to induce complete symptom and/or mucosal disease remission. Central to CeD pathogenesis is the gluten-specific CD4+ T cell that is restricted by HLA-DQ2.5 in over 85% of CeD patients, making HLA-DQ2.

Isobutyric acid enhances the anti-tumour effect of anti-PD-1 antibody.

The low response rate of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) is a challenge. The efficacy of ICIs is influenced by the tumour microenvironment, which is controlled by the gut microbiota. In particular, intestinal bacteria and their metabolites, such as short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), are important regulators of cancer immunity; however, our knowledge on the effects of individual SCFAs remains limited.

"Honey pot"-like lesion formation: Impact of catheter contact angle on lesion formation by novel diamond-embedded temperature-controlled ablation catheter in a porcine experimental model.

Background: Novel diamond-embedded catheter enables precise temperature-controlled ablation. However, the effects of contact angle on lesion formation of this catheter are poorly understood.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate lesion formation using the temperature-controlled ablation catheter embedded with diamond at different angles in a porcine experimental model.

Characterization of the role of Facebook groups for patients who use scalp cooling therapy: a survey study.

Since the emergence of scalp cooling therapy (SCT) for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA), support groups on social media platforms for interested patients have surfaced. Though there are over 20,000 active members across SCT Facebook groups, little is known about how members use this platform. A 23-question survey was posted in five scalp cooling Facebook groups, reaching 219 women.

An online pain management program for people with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome or hypermobility spectrum disorder: a three-staged development process.

Purpose: Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) and hypermobility spectrum disorder (HSD) are painful, chronic and multi-systemic conditions. No online pain management programs for hEDS/HSD currently exist. We aimed to develop one by exploring what people with hEDS/HSD want in such programs.

Hepatic arterial infusion of autologous CD34 cells for hepatitis C virus-related decompensated cirrhosis: A multicenter, open-label, exploratory randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: In this multicenter clinical study, we aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of the transhepatic arterial administration of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF)-mobilized autologous peripheral blood (PB)-CD34 cells compared with standard therapy in patients with decompensated cirrhosis type C.

Methods: Patients were randomly assigned (2:1) to the CD34 cell transplant (CD34 cell) or standard-of-care (SOC) group and followed up for 52 weeks. The primary endpoints were the non-progression rate of Child-Pugh (CP) scores at 24 weeks post-enrollment and the safety of the protocol treatment.

Functional roles of descending projections from the cerebral cortex to the trigeminal spinal subnucleus caudalis in orofacial nociceptive information processing.

Background: The trigeminal spinal subnucleus caudalis (Sp5C), also known as the medullary dorsal horn, receives orofacial somatosensory inputs, particularly nociceptive inputs, from the trigeminal nerve. In the Sp5C, excitatory and inhibitory neurons, glutamatergic and GABAergic/glycinergic neurons, respectively, form the local circuits. The axons of the glutamatergic neurons in lamina I ascend toward the thalamic and parabrachial nuclei, and this projection is the main pathway of orofacial nociception.

High-mobility group box 1 fragment ameliorates chronic pancreatitis induced by caerulein in mice.

Background: Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a progressive disease characterized by pancreatic fibrosis for which effective treatment options are lacking. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown potential for fibrosis treatment but face limitations in clinical application. The high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) fragment mobilizes MSCs from bone marrow into the blood and has emerged as a promising therapeutic agent for tissue regeneration in various pathological conditions.

Serum bta-miRNA-375 as a potential biomarker for the early diagnosis of enzootic bovine leukosis.

To identify a biomarker for the early diagnosis of enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL) caused by bovine leukemia virus (BLV), we investigated the expression of a microRNA, bta-miR-375, in cattle serum. Using quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR analysis, we measured bta-miR-375 levels in 27 samples from cattle with EBL (EBL cattle), 45 samples from animals infected with BLV but showing no clinical signs (NS cattle), and 30 samples from cattle uninfected with BLV (BLV negative cattle). In this study, we also compared the kinetics of bta-miR-375 with those of the conventional biomarkers of proviral load (PVL), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and thymidine kinase (TK) from the no-clinical-sign phase until EBL onset in three BLV-infected Japanese black (JB) cattle.

Bayesian inference of atomic column positions in scanning transmission electron microscopy images.

Atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy combined with two-dimensional Gaussian fitting enables the accurate and precise identification of atomic column positions within a few picometers. The measurement performance significantly depends on the signal-to-noise ratio of the atomic columns. In areas with low signal-to-noise ratios, such as near surfaces, the measurement performance was lower than that of the bulk.

Rab27a promotes degradation of West Nile virus E protein in the lysosome.

Rab27a, a Rab family small GTPases, plays an important role in the trafficking and secretion of the intracellular proteins and has been reported to promote various viral multiplication. However, whether Rab27a is involved in West Nile virus (WNV) multiplication is unknown. This study examined the ability of Rab27a to suppress WNV multiplication.

Continuous specimen cooling during slicing and thickness measurement contributes to improved accuracy in image analysis of pathologic specimens.

Unlabelled: We measured section thickness (ST) after slicing using a film thickness meter and investigated the relationship between ST and the percent area of positive staining using computer-assisted image analysis.

Methods: Sections were prepared from a paraffin-only block and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) blocks containing fish sausage and human liver specimens. The ST was compared between the sections prepared with cooling using an ice pack (IP) or a continuous cooling device (CCD) paired with a sliding microtome set at an ST of 4 µm.

Geriatric prognostic scoring system predicts survival after hepatectomy for elderly patients with liver cancer.

Aim: The number of elderly patients with liver cancer is increasing with the aging society. The Geriatric Prognostic Scoring System is useful in predicting the postoperative prognosis for elderly patients with gastrointestinal cancer. The aim of the present study was to assess the predictive ability of the geriatric prognostic scoring system for postoperative survival in elderly patients with liver cancer.