Posterior Decompression and Fusion for Cervical Spondylodiscitis due to Osteoradionecrosis after Head-and-Neck Cancer Radiotherapy: Two Case Reports.

Introduction: Cervical spondylodiscitis due to osteoradionecrosis (ORN) after head-and-neck cancer radiotherapy is a severe complication. However, there are few reports on the surgical treatment of this condition.

Case Report: We report two cases of cervical spondylodiscitis due to ORN, which were successfully treated with posterior decompression and fusion.

Maternal heated tobacco product use during pregnancy and allergy in offspring.

Background: Little is known about the association between maternal use of heated tobacco products (HTPs) during pregnancy and the onset of allergy among offspring. This study aimed to determine whether maternal HTP smoking is associated with allergy in their offspring and to evaluate the potential dose-response association.

Methods: In this web-based, cross-sectional survey conducted in July and August 2021 in Japan, we investigated 5688 pairs of postpartum women and infants (<3 years).

HomotopicLI: Rationale, characteristics, and implications of a new threshold-free lateralization index of functional magnetic resonance imaging.

The reliable preoperative estimation of brain hemispheric asymmetry may be achieved through multiple lateralization indices using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Adding to our previously developed AveLI, we devised a novel threshold-free lateralization index, HomotopicLI, which computes a basic formula, (Left - Right) / (Left + Right), using voxel values of pairs located symmetrically in relation to the midsagittal line as the terms Left and Right, and averages them within the regions-of-interest. The study aimed to evaluate HomotopicLI before clinical applications.

Species Difference in Hydrolysis of an Ester-type Prodrug of Levodopa in Human and Animal Plasma: Different Contributions of Alpha-1 Acid Glycoprotein.

Previously, we found that ONO-2160, an ester-type prodrug of levodopa (3-hydroxy-l-tyrosine), was mainly hydrolyzed in human plasma by α-acid glycoprotein (AGP) with a partial contribution of albumin. In this study, we investigated whether ONO-2160 was hydrolyzed in the plasma of preclinical species (dog, rabbit, rat, and mouse) and humans and whether AGP and albumin are involved in its hydrolysis. ONO-2160 was hydrolyzed to some extent in the plasma of all tested species with the order of magnitude mouse > human > rabbit > rat > dog.

Unique Hydrolysis of an Ester-Type Prodrug of Levodopa in Human Plasma: Relay-Type Role Sharing between Alpha-1 Acid Glycoprotein and Human Serum Albumin.

ONO-2160 is a newly developed oral ester-type prodrug of levodopa for removing the problems in use of levodopa. It has a structure in which two of the same substituents are bound to levodopa. It is important to understand the pharmacokinetics and metabolic pathway for new drug candidate compounds.

IL-22 induces Reg3γ and inhibits allergic inflammation in house dust mite-induced asthma models.

Previous studies have shown that IL-22, one of the Th17 cell-related cytokines, plays multiple roles in regulating allergic airway inflammation caused by antigen-specific Th2 cells; however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, we show that allergic airway inflammation and Th2 and Th17 cytokine production upon intratracheal administration of house dust mite (HDM) extract, a representative allergen, were exacerbated in IL-22-deficient mice. We also found that IL-22 induces Reg3γ production from lung epithelial cells through STAT3 activation and that neutralization of Reg3γ significantly exacerbates HDM-induced eosinophilic airway inflammation and Th2 cytokine induction.