Transtibial pullout repair improved short-term clinical outcomes in patients with oblique medial meniscus posterior root tear comparable to radial root tear.

Purpose: Medial meniscus (MM) posterior root tears (PRT) can lead to excessive knee loading and unsatisfactory clinical outcomes after non-operative treatment or meniscectomy. Although favourable clinical outcomes after MM posterior root (PR) repair have been reported, no study has specifically investigated the outcomes of different types of MMPRT. This study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes of patients with complete radial and oblique MMPRT following MMPR repair.

Cost-effectiveness Analysis of the Oncomine™ Dx Target Test MultiCDx System Using Next-generation Sequencing and Single-gene Test in Advanced and Recurrent Nonsquamous Non-small-cell Lung Cancer.

Introduction: To determine the appropriate treatment for patients with advanced/recurrent nonsquamous non‒small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a companion diagnostic was conducted to detect driver mutations through genetic testing. In Japan, Oncomine Dx Target Test (DxTT) using next-generation sequencing (NGS) that can comprehensively detect gene mutations or single-gene tests are conducted as companion diagnostics. Furthermore, cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted to compare the cost-effectiveness of Oncomine DxTT using NGS with that of single-gene test in Japan.

Minimally Invasive Surgery for Trapezoid Nonunion: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

We report a case of trapezoid nonunion diagnosed 3 months post injury. A 25-year-old male patient felt continuous wrist pain after being injured. His radiograph showed non-union with sclerotic change and bone resorption.

Meta-fermentation system with a mixed culture for the production of optically pure l-lactic acid can be reconstructed using the minimum isolates with a simplified pH control strategy.

Meta-l-lactic acid fermentation from non-treated kitchen refuse was reconstructed using a combination of isolated bacterial strains under several pH control strategies. The meta-fermentation system was successfully reconstructed using a combination of Weizmannia coagulans MN-07, Caldibacillus thermoamylovorans OM55-6, and Caldibacillus hisashii N-11 strains. Additionally, a simplified constant pH control strategy was employed, which decreased fermentation time and increased production.

Retrospective multi-center study of Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Multiple Myeloma in Kansai Myeloma Forum registry.

We retrospectively analyzed the clinical features and outcomes in a real-world cohort of adolescents and the young adult (AYA) patients (age between 16 and 39 years) with symptomatic multiple myeloma (MM) registered with the Kansai Myeloma Forum. 26 patients had been diagnosed as symptomatic MM out of 3284 patients. The prevalence of AYA-MM was 0.

Retrospective analysis of plasmacytoma in Kansai Myeloma Forum Registry.

We retrospectively analyzed 51 patients with solitary plasmacytoma diagnosed from October 2002 to September 2018 from a cohort of 3575 patients with plasma cell dyscrasias registered in the Kansai Myeloma Forum. Twenty-seven patients had solitary bone plasmacytoma (SBP) and 24 had extramedullary plasmacytoma (EMP), with prevalence of 0.8% and 0.

Retrospective analysis of primary plasma cell leukemia in Kansai Myeloma Forum registry.

We retrospectively analyzed twenty-six patients with primary plasma cell leukemia (pPCL) registered from May 2005 until April 2015 by the Kansai Myeloma Forum. Twenty patients received novel agents (bortezomib or lenalidomide), and their median survival of was 34 months. The median survival of patients who underwent autologous stem cell transplantation (SCT) was 40 months, those undergoing allogeneic SCT 55 months, and those undergoing both types of SCT (auto-allo) 61 months; whereas for those who did not undergo SCT it was 28 months ( = 0.

Discovery of novel 2-(4-aryl-2-methylpiperazin-1-yl)-pyrimidin-4-ones as glycogen synthase kinase-3β inhibitors.

We herein describe the results of further evolution of glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β inhibitors from our promising compounds containing a 3-methylmorpholine moiety. Transformation of the morpholine moiety into a piperazine moiety resulted in potent GSK-3β inhibitors. SAR studies focused on the nitrogen atom of the piperazine moiety revealed that a phenyl group afforded potent inhibitory activity toward GSK-3β.

Carbon and nitrogen depletion-induced nucleophagy and selective autophagic sequestration of a whole nucleus in multinucleate cells of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus oryzae.

Autophagy is a conserved cellular degradation process in eukaryotes, in which cytoplasmic components and organelles are digested in vacuoles/lysosomes. Recently, autophagic degradation of nuclear materials, termed "nucleophagy", has been reported. In the multinucleate filamentous fungus Aspergillus oryzae, a whole nucleus is degraded by nucleophagy after prolonged culture.

PIAS3 enhances the transcriptional activity of HIF-1α by increasing its protein stability.

The transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) functions as a master regulator of hypoxic response by inducing the transcription of various genes responsible for cellular adaptation to hypoxia. In this study, we investigated the effects of protein inhibitor of activated STAT3 (PIAS3), a small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) E3 ligase, on HIF-1-mediated transcriptional activation. We found that PIAS3 physically associated with HIF-1α.

Discovery of novel 2-(alkylmorpholin-4-yl)-6-(3-fluoropyridin-4-yl)-pyrimidin-4(3H)-ones as orally-active GSK-3β inhibitors for Alzheimer's disease.

We herein describe the results of further evolution of GSK-3β inhibitors for Alzheimer's disease from our promising compounds with in vivo tau phosphorylation inhibitory activity by oral administration. Introduction of a low alkyl group instead of the phenyl group at the 3-position of the morpholine moiety aiming to improve pharmacokinetic profiles resulted in potent low molecular weight GSK-3β inhibitors with good in vitro pharmacokinetic profiles, which also showed in vivo tau phosphorylation inhibitory activity by oral administration. Effect of the stereochemistry of the alkyl moiety is also discussed using docking models.

2-(2-Phenylmorpholin-4-yl)pyrimidin-4(3H)-ones; a new class of potent, selective and orally active glycogen synthase kinase-3β inhibitors.

A series of 2-(2-phenylmorpholin-4-yl)pyrimidin-4(3H)-ones was synthesized and examined for their inhibitory activity against glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β). We found 21, 29 and 30 to possess potent in vitro GSK-3β inhibitory activity with good in vitro PK profiles. 21 demonstrated significant decrease of tau phosphorylation after oral administration in mice and excellent PK profiles.

The nuclear protein Artemis promotes AMPK activation by stabilizing the LKB1-AMPK complex.

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a hetero-trimeric Ser/Thr kinase composed of a catalytic α subunit and regulatory β and γ subunits; it functions as an energy sensor that controls cellular energy homeostasis. In response to an increased cellular AMP/ATP ratio, AMPK is activated by phosphorylation at Thr172 in the α-subunit by upstream AMPK kinases (AMPKKs), including tumor suppressor liver kinase B1 (LKB1). To elucidate more precise molecular mechanisms of AMPK activation, we performed yeast two-hybrid screening and isolated the complementary DNA (cDNA) encoding the nuclear protein Artemis/DNA cross-link repair 1C (DCLRE1C) as an AMPKα2-binding protein.

Is elevation of the serum β-d-glucan level a paradoxical sign for trichosporon fungemia in patients with hematologic disorders?

The detection of serum 1,3-β-d-glucan (BDG) has been reported to be useful for the diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of various invasive fungal infections. Although Trichosporon fungemia is increasingly recognized as a fatal mycosis in immunocompromised patients, the utility of this assay for Trichosporon fungemia is still unknown. In our experience (28 cases), the level of BDG rose in about half of the patients with hematologic disorders who developed Trichosporon fungemia.

Fatal Trichosporon fungemia in patients with hematologic malignancies.

Objective: Invasive Trichosporon infection has been increasingly recognized in patients with hematologic malignancies. Our study aims to clarify the clinical characteristics of this disease and factors influencing patient prognosis.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 33 cases of Trichosporon fungemia (TF) in patients with hematologic malignancies treated at our collaborating five hospitals in Japan between 1992 and 2007.

The influence of hepatitis B DNA level and antiviral therapy on recurrence after initial curative treatment in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Prediction and prevention of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence is an important clinical issue. We investigated whether HBV DNA level and antiviral therapy are associated with HCC recurrence.

Methods: This retrospective study involved 103 patients who underwent hepatic resection or radiofrequency ablation for initial HCC.

Increased prevalence and clonal dissemination of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa with the blaIMP-1 gene cassette in Hiroshima.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the dissemination of metallo-beta-lactamase (MBL)-encoding genes among multidrug-resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates recovered from major hospitals in the Hiroshima region.

Methods: During July to December from 2004 to 2006, a surveillance of eight major hospitals in the Hiroshima region identified 387 non-duplicate isolates resistant to imipenem (MIC >or= 16 mg/L). They were screened for resistance to amikacin (MIC >or= 64 mg/L) and ciprofloxacin (MIC >or= 4 mg/L) and MBL-encoding genes.

Frustration-induced valence bond crystal and its melting in Mo3Sb7.

(121/123)Sb nuclear quadrupole resonance and muon spin relaxation experiments of Mo_3Sb_7 revealed symmetry breakdown to a nonmagnetic state below the transition recently found at T_S approximately 50 K. The transition is characterized by a distinct lattice dynamics suggested from narrowing of nuclear fields. We point out that the Mo sublattice is a unique three-dimensional frustrated lattice where nearest-neighbor and next-nearest-neighbor antiferromagnetic interactions compete, and propose that tetragonal distortion to release the frustration stabilizes long-range order of spin-singlet dimers, i.

Molecular characterization of imipenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Hiroshima, Japan.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa showing resistance to imipenem were found in 100 of 1,058 strains (9.5%) from six hospitals (a-f) in Hiroshima City, Japan. Of the 100 strains, 14 (14%) were double disk synergy test positive using sodium mercaptoacetic acid disks, and 18 (18%) were bla(IMP-1) or bla(VIM-2) allele positive by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Improvement of the resonant cavity applicator for brain tumor hyperthermia - Computer simulation results -.

This paper discusses new methods to control the heating pattern of the prototype resonant cavity applicator for deep tumor hyperthermia treatment. We have already confirmed the effectiveness of the developed heating system with experiments using agar phantoms and computer simulations. Here, the following two methods to control the heating pattern were proposed.

Improvement of the resonant cavity applicator for brain tumor hyperthermia - Experimental heating results -.

A re-entrant type resonant cavity applicator for deep tumor hyperthermia treatment was presented. In this method, a human body is placed between the gap of the inner re-entrant cylinders, and is heated with electromagnetic fields stimulated in the cavity without contact between the surface of the human body and the applicator. In this paper, two methods to control the heating pattern were proposed.

Intra-specific composition and succession of Bifidobacterium longum in human feces.

Intra-species analysis of pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) on human fecal Bifidobacterium longum isolates revealed that a majority of 12 Japanese subjects harbored strains of unique PFGE types or subtypes over a 68-week period, suggesting that "indigenous"Bifidobacterium strains remain stable for a considerable time in each individual intestinal microbiota.