Computed Tomography Evaluation of Extracellular Volume for Predicting Prognosis in Patients with Severe Renal Dysfunction on Dialysis.

: Extracellular volume (ECV) analysis using computed tomography is recognized as a potential method for diagnostic application. It is currently the only noninvasive method for quantitatively evaluating myocardial fibrosis in dialysis patients for whom gadolinium contrast agents are contraindicated. In this study, we assessed the utility of ECV measurement via CT in the left ventricular (LV) myocardium (LVM) to predict major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) in dialysis patients.

Extracellular Volume by Computed Tomography Is Useful for Prediction of Prognosis in Dilated Cardiomyopathy Cases with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction.

Objective: Cardiac computed tomography (CT) helps screen coronary artery stenosis in cases with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Extracellular volume fraction (ECV) analysis has recently been eligible for CT.

Method: We evaluated the impact of ECV on the CT to predict the prognosis in DCM patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).

Urinary Biomarkers Associated With Pathogenic Pathways Reflecting Histologic Findings in Lupus Nephritis.

Objective: There is a pressing need to understand the pathogenesis of histologic findings and identify the biomarkers for predicting the histologic severity in lupus nephritis (LN). This study aimed to identify the pathogenic signal pathway and elucidate urinary biomarkers for predicting the presence or severity of histologic findings in LN.

Methods: Urine samples from patients with biopsy-proven active LN were screened for 1,305 proteins using an aptamer-based proteomic assay.

Effect of whey protein-derived decapeptide on mood status and blood variables in healthy adults: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trial.

Purpose: The importance of maintaining good mental health with overall well-being has recently drawn attention from various fields. Functional peptides found from various protein sources reportedly reduce mental health problems. We found a new decapeptide (AJI-801) from whey proteins, which can possibly improve mood status and increase blood acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) and fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) levels.

Long-read sequencing for 29 immune cell subsets reveals disease-linked isoforms.

Alternative splicing events are a major causal mechanism for complex traits, but they have been understudied due to the limitation of short-read sequencing. Here, we generate a full-length isoform annotation of human immune cells from an individual by long-read sequencing for 29 cell subsets. This contains a number of unannotated transcripts and isoforms such as a read-through transcript of TOMM40-APOE in the Alzheimer's disease locus.

Four-dimensional computed tomography is useful for detection of apical sparing of cardiac amyloidosis.

A 73-year-old male was admitted because of recurrent syncope. He was diagnosed with transient bradycardia caused by a 2:1 atrioventricular block, and he underwent cardiac computed tomography (CT) using 320 detector-row CT to screen for coronary artery disease. Significant coronary artery stenosis was not detected, but diffuse late iodinate enhancement was found on the epi-myocardium and endo-myocardium of the interventricular septum, and endo-myocardium of the anterior and lateral left ventricular (LV) myocardium (LVM) on CT.

Plasma Gel Matrix as a Promising Carrier of Epigallocatechin Gallate for Regenerative Medicine.

Plasma gel (PG) is a protein matrix prepared from platelet-poor plasma and can be utilized as a drug carrier for controlled release. We previously demonstrated its applicability as a carrier of polyphosphate. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the main flavonoid found in green tea and functions as a strong antioxidant.

Successful Treatment of Rosai-Dorfman Disease with Cutaneous Involvement and Arthritis with Methotrexate and Infliximab.

Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) is a rare histiocytic proliferative disorder characterized by lymphadenopathy and extra-nodal manifestations. Some patients with RDD require systemic treatment, but there is no consensus on the treatment strategy owing to its extreme rarity. Overexpression of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) has been reported in lesions of patients with RDD and is thought to be involved in its pathogenesis.

Strong Diagnostic Performance of Single Energy 256-row Multidetector Computed Tomography with Deep Learning Image Reconstruction in the Assessment of Myocardial Fibrosis.

Objective Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the gold standard for evaluating abnormal myocardial fibrosis and extracellular volume (ECV) of the left ventricular myocardium (LVM), a similar evaluation has recently become possible using computed tomography (CT). In this study, we investigated the diagnostic accuracy of a new 256-row multidetector CT with a low tube-voltage single energy scan and deep-learning-image reconstruction (DLIR) in detecting abnormal late enhancement (LE) in LVM. Methods We evaluated the diagnostic performance of CT for detecting LE in LVM and compared the results with those of MRI as a reference.

Risk of disease flares after SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

This study aims to elucidate the effectiveness and safety of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We enrolled uninfected SLE patients who received two vaccine doses (BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273) and historical unvaccinated patients. Neutralizing antibodies, adverse reactions, and disease flares were evaluated 4 weeks after the second vaccination.

Dietary amino acid intake and sleep duration are additively involved in future cognitive decline in Japanese adults aged 60 years or over: a community-based longitudinal study.

Background: Sleep duration and amino acid intake are independently associated with cognitive decline. This study aimed to determine the longitudinal association between sleep duration and cognitive impairment incidence and to examine the involvement of diet, particularly amino acid intake, in these associations in community dwellers.

Methods: In this longitudinal study in a community-based setting, we analyzed data from 623 adults aged 60-83 years without cognitive impairment at baseline.

Diet-related factors strongly shaped the gut microbiota of Japanese macaques.

Although knowledge of the functions of the gut microbiome has increased greatly over the past few decades, our understanding of the mechanisms governing its ecology and evolution remains obscure. While host genetic distance is a strong predictor of the gut microbiome in large-scale studies and captive settings, its influence has not always been evident at finer taxonomic scales, especially when considering among the recently diverged animals in natural settings. Comparing the gut microbiome of 19 populations of Japanese macaques Macaca fuscata across the Japanese archipelago, we assessed the relative roles of host genetic distance, geographic distance and dietary factors in influencing the macaque gut microbiome.