Impact of Lymphocyte/Monocyte Ratio on Outcomes in Patients with Remnant Gastric Cancer After Gastrectomy.

Background: The inflammatory response plays a crucial role in tumor development. Inflammatory markers are recognized prognostic factors in many types of cancer, including gastric cancer. However, the correlation between inflammatory markers and prognosis in remnant gastric cancer (RGC) remains unclear.

Within-Site Variations in Soil Physicochemical Properties Explained the Spatiality and Cohabitation of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in the Roots of Cryptomeria Japonica.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) live in a community in the roots of host plants. Still, the patterns and factors that drive their spatiality and cohabitation remain uncovered, particularly that of trees in planted forests, which we aimed to clarify in Cryptomeria japonica, a major plantation tree in Japan. We analyzed 65 paired root and soil samples of Cryptomeria japonica trees collected from 11 microsite (MS) plots at two environmentally different forest sites in central Japan and measured soil pH, total phosphorus (TP), C, N, and the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio.

Relationship between the distribution of the pinewood nematode () and the development of xylem embolism in the stems of Japanese black pine () seedlings monitored by magnetic resonance imaging.

The development of xylem embolism in 1-year-old stems of Japanese black pine () seedlings was monitored by compact magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after inoculation with the pinewood nematode (). In parallel, the nematode distribution and population structure in the stems were examined by isolating the nematodes using the Baermann funnel technique. The vertical length and volume of massive embolisms in each seedling were strongly correlated with the maximum relative embolized area (REA) in stem cross-sections.

Annotated draft genome sequences of KT1a and KT1b strains isolated from dry-aged beef surface.

KT1a and KT1b were isolated and identified in our earlier study as the two dominant fungal species on dry-aged beef. In this study, we report their genome sequences and annotations.

Effects of sample storage temperature and duration on the detection of foliar endophytes of tea plants (Camellia sinensis L.) in summer and winter.

Seasonal changes in the diversity of tea plant endophytic fungi and the effects of sample storage conditions on detection were analyzed. Tea leaves were collected from the Saitama Tea Research Institute in Japan during winter (January 2020) and summer (August 2020). The effects of storage temperature (5, 10, 20, 25, and 30°C) and durations (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 days) on endophytic fungal diversity and community structure were investigated.

Using the geriatric nutritional risk index to predict outcomes in older patients with remnant gastric cancer after gastrectomy: a retrospective multicenter study in Japan.

Purpose: This study investigated the prognostic value of the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) in patients undergoing curative gastrectomy for remnant gastric cancer (RGC).

Methods: This multicenter retrospective study included 105 patients with RGC of ≥ 65 years of age who underwent curative gastrectomy at 10 institutions in Japan between January 2000 and December 2016. Postoperative complications, overall survival (OS), and disease-specific survival (DSS) were analyzed.

Year-round dynamics of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi communities in the roots and surrounding soils of Cryptomeria japonica.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) live simultaneously inside and outside of host plant roots for a functional mycorrhizal symbiosis. Still, the year-round dynamics and relationships between soil properties and AMF communities of trees in forest ecosystems remain unclear. We collected paired root and soil samples of the same Cryptomeria japonica trees at two forest sites (five trees at each site) every 2 months over a year.

, gen. et sp. nov., associated with snow blight of conifers in Japan.

(Dearn.) Crous (syn: ) was originally described in North America to accommodate the species associated with snow blight of and spp. In Japan, this species was first observed on the dead needles on and var.

Herpes zoster peripheral nerve complications: Their pathophysiology in spinal ganglia and nerve roots.

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) causes chickenpox at the primary infection and then becomes latent in the spinal dorsal root ganglia; VZV can reactivate with aging, immunosuppression, stress, and other factors, occurring as herpes zoster (HZ) at 1-2 skin segments. HZ peripheral nerve complications caused by VZV reactivation include Hunt syndrome, segmental HZ paresis, post-herpetic neuralgia, and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). We have encountered the rare HZ complications of upper-limb paresis, myeloradiculitis, and polyradiculoneuritis: an adult woman with upper-limb paresis consistent with the nerve root on segments above the thoracic HZ dermatome; another woman exhibiting ascending myeloradiculitis originating at the Th11-12 roots; an elderly woman with ascending VZV polyradiculoneuritis resembling GBS; an adult with VZV quadriplegia with disseminated HZ; and an elderly patient with VZV-associated polyradiculoneuritis.

Visualization of root extracellular traps in an ectomycorrhizal woody plant (Pinus densiflora) and their interactions with root-associated bacteria.

Extracellular traps in the primary root of Pinus densiflora contribute to root-associated bacterial colonization. Trapped rhizobacteria induce the production of reactive oxygen species in root-associated, cap-derived cells. Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) woody plants, such as members of Pinaceae and Fagaceae, can acquire resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses through the formation of mycorrhiza with ECM fungi.

An elderly case with late carotid stent thrombosis: possible role of antiphospholipid antibodies.

The case study speculates that the antiphospholipid antibodies acquired during the follow-up period of carotid artery stenting may cause late stent thrombosis that is resistant to direct oral anticoagulants. A 73-year-old man was hospitalized with complaints of weakness in the right lower extremity. The patient had undergone carotid artery stenting for symptomatic stenosis of the left internal carotid artery 6 years prior and had received antiplatelet therapy with clopidogrel 75 mg/day.

Paired Root-Soil Samples and Metabarcoding Reveal Taxon-Based Colonization Strategies in Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Communities in Japanese Cedar and Cypress Stands.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in the roots and soil surrounding their hosts are typically independently investigated and little is known of the relationships between the communities of the two compartments. We simultaneously collected root and surrounding soil samples from Cryptomeria japonica (Cj) and Chamaecyparis obtusa (Co) at three environmentally different sites. Based on molecular and morphological analyses, we characterized their associated AMF communities.

Pooled blood volume measured by final flat-panel detector computed tomography predicts outcome after endovascular thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke.

Background: Pooled blood volume (PBV), measured in real-time in the angiography room using an angiography system, correlates with cerebral blood volume (CBV). We examined the usefulness of PBV in endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke (AIS).

Methods: EVT for AIS in the anterior circulation (internal carotid artery (ICA) and middle cerebral artery (MCA)) was performed in 31 cases (13 males, 18 females, average age 75.

Case report: isolated trochlear nerve palsy associated with posterior cerebral artery aneurysm.

We describe a case of isolated trochlear nerve palsy caused by an unruptured posterior cerebral artery (PCA) aneurysm in an 82-year-old male who consulted an ophthalmologist after developing diplopia. Magnetic resonance angiography showed a left PCA aneurysm in the ambient cistern, and T2WI showed an aneurysm compressing the left trochlear nerve to the cerebellar tentorium. Digital subtraction angiography revealed that the lesion was located between the left P2a segment.

Nitrogen fixation and nifH gene diversity in cyanobacteria living on feather mosses in a subalpine forest of Mt. Fuji.

In the boreal forests, feather mosses such as Hylocomium splendens and Pleurozium schreberi are colonized by cyanobacteria, which provide large amounts of nitrogen to forest ecosystems through nitrogen fixation. Although these feather mosses are also ubiquitous in subalpine forests of East Asia, little is known regarding their associated cyanobacteria and their ability to fix nitrogen. In this study, we investigated (1) whether cyanobacteria co-exist and fix nitrogen in the two species of feather mosses that cover the ground surface in a subalpine forest of Mt.

In Vitro Probiotic Characterization and Safety Assessment of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Raw Milk of Japanese-Saanen Goat ().

Two novel probiotic strains of lactic acid bacteria were successfully isolated from the raw milk of dairy Japanese-Saanen goats. Selection criteria for positive candidates were grown on de Man-Rogosa-Sharpe or M17 selective medium at 30, 35, or 42 °C anaerobically, and characterized based on Gram reaction, catalase test, and tolerance to low pH and bile salts. Among the 101 isolated positive candidates, two strains, YM2-1 and YM2-3, were selected and identified as using 16S rDNA sequence similarity.

The prognostic impact of the lymphocyte-to-C-reactive protein ratio in patients with unresectable or recurrent advanced gastric cancer treated with first- and second-line treatment.

Purpose: The goal of this study was to determine which markers are the most useful as first- and second-line pre-treatment markers in patients with unresectable or recurrent gastric cancer (URGC).

Methods: This study included 101 URGC patients who were treated with first- and second-line chemotherapy. Several prognostic scores based on nutrition and inflammation were analyzed using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis to determine the most useful prognostic marker.

Varicella zoster virus associated-polyradiculoneuritis in an elderly woman: A new subtype of varicella zoster virus neuropathy.

An 82-year-old Japanese woman without underlying disease was admitted to our hospital 3 days after she noticed lower-limb weakness. At presentation, she had lower-leg motor paralysis with mild upper-limb paresis and left Ramsay Hunt syndrome. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) findings revealed moderate pleocytosis.

Epidemiology of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Isolated Islands in Japan: A Population-based Study in the Miyako Islands.

The Miyako Islands (with a population of approximately 50,000) are located in southwestern Japan, with a subtropical oceanic climate. This isolated location permitted a retrospective population-based epidemiological study of subarachnoid hemorrhage. We retrospectively enrolled 110 consecutive patients from 2010 to 2019 using the subarachnoid hemorrhage database at Okinawa Miyako Hospital, which is the only local facility with neurosurgeons.

Host Specificity and Seasonal Variation in the Colonization of Tubakia sensu lato Associated with Evergreen Oak Species in Eastern Japan.

Foliar fungal endophytes are ubiquitous and hyperdiverse, and tend to be host-specific among dominant forest tree species. The fungal genus Tubakia sensu lato is comprised of foliar pathogens and endophytes that exhibit host preference for Quercus and other Fagaceae species. To clarify interspecific differences in ecological characteristics among Tubakia species, we examined the endophyte communities of seven evergreen Quercus spp.

Intrauterine infusion of low levels of interferon-tau on day-8 post-estrus stimulates the bovine endometrium to secrete apolipoprotein-A1: A possible implication for early embryo tolerance.

We previously reported that interferon-tau (IFNT), derived from day-7 blastocyst, generates anti-inflammatory responses in bovine endometrial epithelial cells (BEECs) in vitro. However, the real in vivo impact of early embryo-derived IFNT on the uterine proteomic profile is mostly unknown. This study aimed to investigate proteomic changes of uterine flush (UF) when infused with a low physiological level of IFNT without embryo on day-8 post-estrus and its possible impact on the uterine immunological microenvironment.