The Distress and Benefits of the Bereaved Family Survey: A Mortality Follow-Back Survey.

Context: The Bereaved Family Survey is an important method for evaluating the quality of palliative care.

Objectives: To examine the distress and benefits of bereaved families of patients with or without cancer, who participated in a Bereaved Family Survey, and identify factors associated with distress and benefits.

Methods: We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional, self-reported questionnaire mail survey among the bereaved families of patients who died of cancer, heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, pneumonia, or kidney failure.

Dying Patients' Quality of Care for Five Common Causes of Death: A Nationwide Mortality Follow-Back Survey.

The importance of high-quality care for terminal patients is being increasingly recognized; however, quality of care (QOC) and quality of death and dying (QOD) for noncancer patients remain unclear. To clarify QOC and QOD according to places and causes of death. A nationwide mortality follow-back survey was conducted using death certificate data for cancer, heart disease, stroke syndrome, pneumonia, and kidney failure in Japan.

Atypical heat shock transcription factor HSF5 is critical for male meiotic prophase under non-stress conditions.

Meiotic prophase progression is differently regulated in males and females. In males, pachytene transition during meiotic prophase is accompanied by robust alteration in gene expression. However, how gene expression is regulated differently to ensure meiotic prophase completion in males remains elusive.

Risk factors associated with throwing injuries in young baseball players.

Background: Few studies have retrospectively analyzed the relationship between joint range of motion (ROM) and muscle flexibility and shoulder and elbow throwing injuries in a large number of elementary school baseball players. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively identify the physical factors related to shoulder and elbow throwing injuries in younger baseball players.

Methods: A total of 2466 younger baseball players belonging to our Prefecture Rubber Baseball Federation who participated in medical check-ups from 2016 to 2019 were analyzed.

Heat-Induced Conformational Transition Mechanism of Heat Shock Factor 1 Investigated by Tryptophan Probe.

A transcriptional regulatory system called heat shock response (HSR) has been developed in eukaryotic cells to maintain proteome homeostasis under various stresses. Heat shock factor-1 (Hsf1) plays a central role in HSR, mainly by upregulating molecular chaperones as a transcription factor. Hsf1 forms a complex with chaperones and exists as a monomer in the resting state under normal conditions.

Generation of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) from NY-ESO-I-specific cytotoxic T cells isolated from the melanoma patient with minor HLAs: The practical pilot study for the adoptive immunotherapy for melanoma using iPSC technology.

Melanoma is one of the most severe skin cancers, derived from melanocytes. Among various therapies for melanoma, adoptive immunotherapy using tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes/chimeric antigen receptor-T cells (TCs) is advanced in recent years; however, the efficacy is still limited, and major challenges remain in terms of safety and cell supply. To solve the issues of adoptive immunotherapy, we utilized induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which have an unlimited proliferative ability and various differentiation capability.

Does the contralateral healthy ankle of patient with ipsilateral mechanical lateral ankle laxity show greater lateral ankle laxity? Evaluation of the anterior talofibular ligament by stress ultrasonography.

Background: A number of studies have evaluated risk factors for lateral ankle sprain (LAS) or chronic lateral ankle instability (CLAI). However, the definitive risk factors for LAS or CLAI remain controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the contralateral healthy ankles of subjects with ipsilateral mechanical lateral ankle laxity (group I) show greater lateral ankle laxity in comparison to the healthy ankles of bilateral healthy controls (group B).

Peptide-to-Small Molecule: A Pharmacophore-Guided Small Molecule Lead Generation Strategy from High-Affinity Macrocyclic Peptides.

Recent technological innovations have led to the development of methods for the rapid identification of high-affinity macrocyclic peptides for a wide range of targets; however, it is still challenging to achieve the desired activity and membrane permeability at the same time. Here, we propose a novel small molecule lead discovery strategy, ″Peptide-to-Small Molecule″, which is a combination of rapid identification of high-affinity macrocyclic peptides peptide display screening followed by pharmacophore-guided design of small molecules, and demonstrate the applicability using nicotinamide -methyltransferase (NNMT) as a target. Affinity selection by peptide display technology identified macrocyclic peptide that exhibited good enzymatic inhibitory activity but no cell-based activity.

Remnant-Preserved Single-Bundle Anterior Cruciate Ligament Augmentation in Multi-ligamentous Knee Reconstruction.

This study was conducted to present remnant-preserving anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) augmentation as a useful option for partial ACL injury in multiligament knee injury (MLKI) cases, which may also contribute to conserving graft resources. The present study involved patients diagnosed with MLKI at our institute from Spring 2006 to February 2021. A total of 71 MLKI cases were provided surgery due to knee instability and disability.

Structural and Kinetic Views of Molecular Chaperones in Multidomain Protein Folding.

Despite recent developments in protein structure prediction, the process of the structure formation, folding, remains poorly understood. Notably, folding of multidomain proteins, which involves multiple steps of segmental folding, is one of the biggest questions in protein science. Multidomain protein folding often requires the assistance of molecular chaperones.

The Ratio of Stress to Nonstress Anterior Talofibular Ligament Length on Ultrasonography: Normative Values.

Background: Stress ultrasonography (US) has been shown to be a valid procedure for evaluating chronic anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) injury. The ratio of stress/nonstress ATFL length (ATFL ratio) as measured on US is clinically useful; however, there are no published normative data concerning this ratio.

Purpose: To report a normative value of the ATFL ratio on US and evaluate the relationships between sex, generalized joint laxity (GJL), and the grade of anterior drawer test (ADT).

Footprint-free gene mutation correction in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived from recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) using the CRISPR/Cas9 and piggyBac transposon system.

Background: Recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) is a monogenic skin blistering disorder caused by mutations in the type VII collagen gene. A combination of biological technologies, including induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and several gene-editing tools, allows us to develop gene and cell therapies for such inherited diseases. However, the methodologies for gene and cell therapies must be continuously innovated for safe clinical use.

Analysis of Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors reduction ratio of primary chemotherapy in unresectable advanced or recurrent colorectal cancer.

Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) is used to assess the objective response of solid tumors to treatment. However, it remains unclear to what extent the response rate assessed by RECIST reflects a reduction of tumor size in multiple organs in patients with unresectable advanced or recurrent colorectal cancer (CRC) with multiple organ metastases. It is also unclear whether the management of liver metastases with systemic chemotherapy in CRC patients with multiple organ metastases improves their prognosis, although surgical resection has been shown to be the most effective treatment approach to CRC cases with liver metastases.

Structural insight into proline / isomerization of unfolded proteins catalyzed by the trigger factor chaperone.

Molecular chaperones often possess functional modules that are specialized in assisting the formation of specific structural elements, such as a disulfide bridges and peptidyl-prolyl bonds in form, in the client protein. A ribosome-associated molecular chaperone trigger factor (TF), which has a peptidyl-prolyl / isomerase (PPIase) domain, acts as a highly efficient catalyst in the folding process limited by peptidyl-prolyl isomerization. Herein we report a study on the mechanism through which TF recognizes the proline residue in the unfolded client protein during the / isomerization process.

Oligomerization of a molecular chaperone modulates its activity.

Molecular chaperones alter the folding properties of cellular proteins via mechanisms that are not well understood. Here, we show that Trigger Factor (TF), an ATP-independent chaperone, exerts strikingly contrasting effects on the folding of non-native proteins as it transitions between a monomeric and a dimeric state. We used NMR spectroscopy to determine the atomic resolution structure of the 100 kDa dimeric TF.

[Development of an inter-professional educational program for home care professionals: Evaluation of short-term effects in suburban areas].

Objective　To examine the short-term effects of an inter-professional educational program developed for physicians and other home care specialists to promote home care in the community.Methods　From March 2012 to January 2013, an inter-professional educational program (IEP) was held four times in three suburban areas (Kashiwa city and Matsudo city in the Chiba prefecture, and Omori district in the Ota ward). This program aimed to motivate physicians to increase the number of home visits and to encourage home care professionals to work together in the same community areas by promoting inter-professional work (IPW).

Integration-free T cell-derived human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from a patient with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) carrying two compound heterozygous mutations in the COL7A1 gene.

Expanded human T cells from a Japanese female with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDBE) were used to generate integration-free induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by exogenous expression of four reprogramming factors, OCT3/4, SOX2, cMYC, KLF4, using Sendai virus vector (SeVdp). The authenticity of established iPSC line, RDEB-iPSC26, was confirmed by the expressions of stem cell markers and the differentiation capability into three germ layer. RDEB-iPSC26 may be a useful cell resource for the establishment of in vitro RDEB modeling and the study for developing gene and cell therapy.

Integration-free T cell-derived human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from a healthy individual: WT-iPSC1.

Expanded human T cells from a Japanese healthy male were used to generate integration-free induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by exogenous expression of four reprogramming factors, OCT3/4, SOX2, cMYC, KLF4, using Sendai virus vector (SeVdp). The authenticity of established iPSC line, WT-iPSC1, was confirmed by the expressions of stem cell markers and the differentiation capability into three germ layers. WT-iPSC1 may be a useful cell resource as a normal control for the comparative study using disease-specific iPSCs.

Integration-free T cell-derived human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from a healthy individual: WT-iPSC4.

Expanded human T cells from a Japanese healthy male were used to generate integration-free induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by exogenous expression of four reprogramming factors, OCT3/4, SOX2, cMYC, KLF4, using Sendai virus vector (SeVdp). The authenticity of established iPSC line, WT-iPSC4, was confirmed by the expressions of stem cell markers and the differentiation capability into three germ layer. WT-iPSC4 may be a useful cell resource as a normal control for the comparative study using disease-specific iPSCs.

Integration-free T cell-derived human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from a healthy individual: WT-iPSC2.

Expanded human T cells from a Japanese healthy male were used to generate integration-free induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by exogenous expression of four reprogramming factors, OCT3/4, SOX2, cMYC, KLF4, using Sendai virus vector (SeVdp). The authenticity of established iPSC line, WT-iPSC2, was confirmed by the expressions of stem cell markers and the differentiation capability into three germ layer. WT-iPSC2 may be a useful cell resource as a normal control for the comparative study using disease-specific iPSCs.

Adding items that assess changes in activities of daily living does not improve the predictive accuracy of the Palliative Prognostic Index.

Background: Changes in activities of daily living in cancer patients may predict their survival. The Palliative Prognostic Index is a useful tool to evaluate cancer patients, and adding an item about activities of daily living changes might improve its predictive value.

Aim: To clarify whether adding an item about activities of daily living changes improves the accuracy of Palliative Prognostic Index.