Development of the membrane ceiling method for in vitro spermatogenesis.

Spermatogenesis is one of the most complex processes of cell differentiation and its failure is a major cause of male infertility. Therefore, a proper model that recapitulates spermatogenesis in vitro has been long sought out for basic and clinical research. Testis organ culture using the gas-liquid interphase method has been shown to support spermatogenesis in mice and rats.

Increase in the number of female doctors and the challenges that Japan's medical system must face.

Japan has seen an increase in female physicians recently, yet it still lags behind other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. A major barrier has been the historical discrimination against women in medical school admissions. In recent years, female enrolment in medical schools has risen, surpassing 40% in 2024, reflecting a broader societal shift.

Disruption of the Enterococcus faecalis-Induced Biofilm on the Intraocular Lens Using Bacteriophages.

Purpose: To compare the effects of bacteriophages (phages) and vancomycin on Enterococcus faecalis-induced biofilms on the intraocular lens.

Methods: E. faecalis strains EF24, GU02, GU03, and phiEF14H1 were used.

Repeated dosing of AAV-mediated liver gene therapy in juvenile rat and mouse models of Crigler-Najjar syndrome type I.

Crigler-Najjar syndrome is an ultra-rare monogenic recessive liver disease caused by gene mutations. Complete UGT1A1 deficiency results in severe unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia in newborns that, if not treated, may lead to brain damage and death. Treatment is based on intensive phototherapy, but its efficacy decreases with age, rendering liver transplantation the only curative option.

Collaborative Outcomes Study on Health and Functioning During Infection Times (COH-FIT): Global and Risk-Group Stratified Course of Well-Being and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Adolescents.

Objective: To identify the COVID-19 pandemic impact on well-being/mental health, coping strategies, and risk factors in adolescents worldwide.

Method: This study was based on an anonymous online multi-national/multi-language survey in the general population (representative/weighted non-representative samples, 14-17 years of age), measuring change in well-being (World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index [WHO-5]/range = 0-100) and psychopathology (validated composite P-score/range = 0-100), WHO-5 <50 and <29, pre- vs during COVID-19 pandemic (April 26, 2020-June 26, 2022). Coping strategies and 9 a priori- defined individual/cumulative risk factors were measured.

Identification and synthesis of a long-chain antimicrobial peptide from the venom of the Liocheles australasiae scorpion.

Scorpion venom contains linear peptides without disulfide bonds in addition to peptides with disulfide bonds. Many such linear peptides have an amphiphilic α-helical structure, often with antimicrobial activity and can be classified into three groups based on their molecular size. Among them, long-chain antimicrobial peptides consisting of more than 40 residues have not been thoroughly studied due to the difficulty of synthesizing them.

Reliability of ABC/2 volumetric estimation in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage for hematoma expansion prediction scores.

Introduction: Prediction scores for hematoma expansion in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), such as the 9-point and BRAIN scores, were developed predominantly using planimetry to measure hematoma volume. In this study, we aim to investigate whether the ABC/2 formula, which is known to overestimate hematoma volume, can be reliably used as a substitute for planimetry in these prediction scores.

Patients And Methods: A total of 429 patients from four hospitals were retrospectively enrolled.

SMARCB1-deficient malignant neoplasm of the pancreas with heterogeneous morphologies that cannot be classified into existing histologic types.

A 50-year-old male with a pancreatic tail tumor underwent distal pancreatectomy. At 14 and 27 months after the primary surgery, metachronous liver metastases were identified and partial hepatectomies were performed for each. Pathologic findings of the primary pancreatic tumor were heterogeneous, but they essentially categorized into two components based on their cytologic features: (i) clear cell component and (ii) epithelioid cell component.

Financial inclusion and financial gerontology in Japan's aging society.

Japan, the world's most rapidly aging society, faces increasing financial strains related to personalized dementia care. The government has shifted its focus from prevention to coexistence with dementia, as outlined in the 2023 Basic Act on Dementia. Emphasis on financial inclusion aligns with the G20's 2019 "Fukuoka Policy Priorities on Aging and Financial Inclusion", which addresses financial exclusion due to cognitive decline and poor financial literacy.

Association between upper limb muscle quality and knee osteoarthritis in dynapenia: an observational cross-sectional study.

Neurological and skeletal muscle properties are suggested causes of dynapenia. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between upper limb muscle quality (grip strength/upper extremity muscle mass) and knee osteoarthritis in dynapenia, and to identify dynapenia-associated factors. Elderly individuals who responded to a public call for screening in Wakasa Town, Fukui Prefecture between June 2019 and November 2021 were included.

Threonine Phosphorylation and the Yin and Yang of STAT1: Phosphorylation-Dependent Spectrum of STAT1 Functionality in Inflammatory Contexts.

Threonine phosphorylation promotes inflammatory functions of STAT1 while restricting its interferon (IFN) signaling in innate immune responses. However, it remains unclear whether the restriction of STAT1-mediated IFN signaling conferred by threonine phosphorylation is a ubiquitous mechanism or one that is context-dependent. To address this, we utilized pristane-induced lupus, a prototype IFN-driven systemic autoimmune disease model characterized by the production of high-titer autoantibodies against nucleic acid-associated antigens.

Change in Surface Roughness on the Inner and Outer Surfaces of the Microtube during Hollow Sinking.

Hollow sinking experiments and tensile tests were conducted to clarify the evolution of surface roughness during hollow sinking. Stainless steel tubes (outer diameter: 1.5 mm; wall thickness: 0.

Shark Fin Sign in a Patient with Sepsis-induced Cardiomyopathy Associated with Retained Placenta: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Retained placenta can lead to septic shock; however, sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy (SICM) due to retained placenta has not been reported previously. This report presents a rare case of SICM following septic shock due to retained placenta after miscarriage in a 40-year-old woman, accompanied by the "shark fin sign" on an electrocardiogram, a pattern typically linked to myocardial ischemia. She experienced ventricular tachycardia and required venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; however, she was successfully treated.

[Analysis of the Effect of Nutritional Status on Pain Treatment in Cancer Patients Using Oral Opioid Analgesics].

In cancer patients, pain control is reportedly affected by the quality of their nutritional status as the disease progresses. We conducted a study of patients who were continuously using oral opioid analgesics for the treatment of cancer pain at Chibaken Saiseikai Narashino Hospital from September 2020 to August 2022. Patient characteristics and pain treatments were compared between the well-nourished group(mGPS 0 or 1, n=20)and poorly nourished group(mGPS 2, n=47).

The Efficacy of Web-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy With a Shame-Specific Intervention for Social Anxiety Disorder: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most prevalent psychological disorders and generally co-occurs with elevated shame levels. Previous shame-specific interventions could significantly improve outcomes in social anxiety treatments. Recent review suggests that integrating a more direct shame intervention could potentially increase the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy.

A non-toxic equinatoxin-II reveals the dynamics and distribution of sphingomyelin in the cytosolic leaflet of the plasma membrane.

Sphingomyelin (SM) is a major sphingolipid in mammalian cells. SM is enriched in the extracellular leaflet of the plasma membrane (PM). Besides this localization, recent electron microscopic and biochemical studies suggest the presence of SM in the cytosolic leaflet of the PM.

Prediction of hematoma expansion in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage using a multimodal neural network.

Hematoma expansion occasionally occurs in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), associating with poor outcome. Multimodal neural networks incorporating convolutional neural network (CNN) analysis of images and neural network analysis of tabular data are known to show promising results in prediction and classification tasks. We aimed to develop a reliable multimodal neural network model that comprehensively analyzes CT images and clinical variables to predict hematoma expansion.

Investigation on the Biaxial Flexural Strength of Universal Shade Resin-Based Composites.

The biaxial flexural strength of universal shade and conventional dental resin-based composites before and after alkaline degradation was investigated. Disk samples were prepared from these resin-based composites, and some of the specimens were immersed in 0.1 M NaOH solution to create deteriorated samples.