Publications by authors named "Kono S"

We report photodissociation processes and spectral measurements upon photoabsorption of size-selected cationic silver clusters, Ag, stored in an ion trap. The experiment shows that small clusters ( ≲ 15) dissociate upon one-photon absorption, whereas larger ones require multiple photons up to five in the present study. The emergence of multi-photon processes is attributed to collisional cooling in the presence of a buffer helium gas in the trap, which competes with size-dependent dissociation rates.

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This cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence and factors associated with leftover antibiotics in Japanese households through pharmacist home visits. The research, conducted in collaboration with pharmaceutical associations in Kyoto and Hirakata, included 37 cases analyzed from October 2023 to March 2024. Participants had a median age of 81 years and received a median of two antibiotic prescriptions in the past year.

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Background: Recombinant human fibroblast growth factor-2 (rhFGF-2) has been shown to effectively promote the formation of new periodontal tissues, and its efficacy has been demonstrated in clinical settings. Moreover, the clinical and radiographic outcomes in the treatment of periodontal infrabony defects can be improved by using rhFGF-2 in combination with a bone substitute. Here, we present a case of four-wall bone defect in a tooth treated by combination regenerative therapy using rhFGF-2 and beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP).

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Collective phenomena arise from interactions within complex systems, leading to behaviors absent in individual components. Observing quantum collective phenomena with macroscopic mechanical oscillators has been impeded by the stringent requirement that oscillators be identical. We demonstrate the quantum regime for collective motion of = 6 mechanical oscillators, a hexamer, in a superconducting circuit optomechanical platform.

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Objectives: As many patients with osteoporosis remain undiagnosed, we aimed to develop a simple method to efficiently screen for osteoporosis using a combination of anteroposterior hip X-ray assessment and the Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool for Asians (OSTA), which is calculated as (body weight - age) × 0.2.

Methods: One hundred Japanese women (age: 73 ± 11 years, body weight: 54.

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Purpose: The present study aims to determine whether the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)/high-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid (HMW-HA) complex could regenerate bone around implants lost due to peri-implantitis.

Methods: Dogs had their three premolars extracted, and three implants were placed on each side. After osseointegration, 3-0 silk threads were ligated around the healing abutment for 12 weeks.

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Article Synopsis
  • * It involved 312 PAC samples and 315 renin samples, finding that PAC values from CLEIA and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) were highly correlated, while RIA showed more false positives.
  • * The results indicate that using PAC from CLEIA improves PA detection rates and that weak mineralocorticoids affect PAC measurements, notably in the traditional RIA method.
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Objective: Ikigai is a Japanese concept of a life worth living and related to eudaimonic well-being. Supporting the pursuit of is of central importance to recovery-oriented psychiatric rehabilitation for people with serious mental illnesses (SMI). While research suggests that work, leisure, and social relationships are potential sources of , people with SMI have restricted access to these as they encounter systemic barriers to participating in such activities.

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Many CRISPR-Cas immune systems generate guide (g)RNAs using trans-activating CRISPR RNAs (tracrRNAs). Recent work revealed that Cas9 tracrRNAs could be reprogrammed to convert any RNA-of-interest into a gRNA, linking the RNA's presence to Cas9-mediated cleavage of double-stranded (ds)DNA. Here, we reprogram tracrRNAs from diverse Cas12 nucleases, linking the presence of an RNA-of-interest to dsDNA cleavage and subsequent collateral single-stranded DNA cleavage-all without the RNA necessarily encoding a protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM).

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Background: Map-like redness is a newly identified endoscopic risk factor for gastric cancer in patients who received Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy. However, the incidence rate of map-like redness in patients who received eradication, and the risk factors for the development of map-like redness remain unclear. We hence aimed to investigate the incidence rate of map-like redness at 1-year post H.

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Background: Non-inferiority (NI) trials require unique trial design and methods, which pose challenges in their interpretation and applicability, risking introduction of inferior therapies in clinical practice. With the abundance of novel therapies, NI trials are increasing in publication. Prior studies found inadequate quality of reporting of NI studies, but were limited to certain specialties/journals, lacked NI margin evaluation, and did not examine temporal changes in quality.

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Background: Ipilimumab (Ipi) plus nivolumab (Nivo) is the recommended first-line treatment for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). This report describes a case where pancreatic metastases disappeared after only two courses of Ipi + Nivo therapy. The primary tumor was cured by surgery, and a pathological Complete Response (pCR) was observed despite multiple serious immune-related Adverse Events (irAEs).

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Superconducting qubits are among the most advanced candidates for achieving fault-tolerant quantum computing. Despite recent significant advancements in the qubit lifetimes, the origin of the loss mechanism for state-of-the-art qubits is still subject to investigation. Furthermore, the successful implementation of quantum error correction requires negligible correlated errors between qubits.

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We report gas-phase reactions of free iron-oxide clusters, FeO, and their Ar adducts with methane in the context of chemical processes in Mars' atmosphere. Methane activation was observed to produce FeOCH/FeOCD and FeOC, where the reactivity exhibited size and composition dependence. For example, the rate coefficients of methane activation for FeO and FeO were estimated to be 1 × 10 and 3 × 10 cm s, respectively.

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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive disease that is characterized by chronic airway inflammation. A Japanese herbal medicine, hochuekkito (TJ-41), is prominently used for chronic inflammatory diseases in Japan. This study aimed to analyze the anti-inflammatory effect of TJ-41 in vivo and its underlying mechanisms.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the distribution of BRCA1/2 germline pathogenic variants, particularly focusing on a founder mutation (BRCA2 c.5576_5579del) among breast cancer patients in Japan.
  • Conducted at Kobe University Hospital and three other institutions, the study analyzed genetic testing results from 38 breast cancer patients between 2018 and 2021, comparing clinical characteristics and breast cancer subtypes among different genetic carriers.
  • Results revealed that BRCA2 c.5576_5579del was prevalent, especially in Kakogawa City, with a significant correlation between this mutation and triple negative breast cancer, highlighting the need for further research on its distribution.
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  • Diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis are crucial for successful hip surgery outcomes, and measuring bone mineral density (BMD) via DXA is the established method, but access can be limited.* -
  • The study analyzed 1378 female patients undergoing hip surgery, assessing the correlation between BMD and the Osteoporosis Self-assessment Tool for Asians (OSTA) score, finding a strong correlation and establishing a cut-off score that effectively predicts osteoporosis.* -
  • Results indicate that the OSTA tool can help screen for osteoporosis in at-risk patients before surgery, enabling targeted investigations and potentially improving patient outcomes.*
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Purpose: An optimal radiotherapy field for superficial esophageal carcinoma is yet to be established. We evaluated the long-term outcomes and recurrence patterns of involved-field radiotherapy (IFRT) in older patients with superficial thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Materials And Methods: Fifty-four patients (49 men and 5 women; mean age, 77 [range: 66-90] years) who underwent IFRT for superficial thoracic ESCC between January 2003 and January 2019 were retrospectively reviewed.

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  • This study aimed to automate the classification of hip osteoarthritis (hip OA) severity using deep learning models based on digitally-reconstructed CT images, moving away from subjective manual classifications like Crowe and Kellgren-Lawrence grades.
  • The models were trained on a database of 197 hip OA patients, achieving an accuracy of about 65% in exact class accuracy and 95% in one-neighbor class accuracy, while also assessing prediction uncertainty related to classification errors.
  • The findings indicate that this automated approach can effectively grade hip OA severity, potentially aiding in large-scale analyses and future disease progression studies, with the developed code expected to be publicly available.
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Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are widely used as a host for producing recombinant therapeutic proteins due to advantages such as human-like post-translational modification, correct protein folding, higher productivity, and a proven track record in biopharmaceutical development. Much effort has been made to improve the process of recombinant protein production, in terms of its yield and productivity, using conventional CHO cell lines. However, to the best of our knowledge, no attempts have been made to acquire new CHO cell lines from Chinese hamster ovary.

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In this prospective observational study, we aimed to examine improvements in horizontal laxity after lower eyelid retractor advancement and transcanthal canthopexy for involutional lower eyelid entropion. The study included 19 sides in 15 patients with involutional entropion who underwent transcanthal canthopexy with the advancement of the lower eyelid retractor. Using the pinch test, the distance from the lowest part of the corneal limbus to the eyelid margin was measured using callipers.

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Objective Acute hemorrhagic rectal ulcer (AHRU) is characterized by sudden, painless, and massive bleeding from rectal ulcers. To date, few studies have analyzed the risk factors for AHRU rebleeding. In this study, we clarified the risk factors of rebleeding after initial hemostasis of AHRU through a multicenter study.

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Article Synopsis
  • Lacrimal canalicular lacerations are injuries to the tear drainage system often resulting from trauma to the eye area, though few specific cases are documented.
  • This report discusses an acute case treated with a bicanalicular stent for immediate relief, and a prior case managed by external dacryocystorhinostomy with a monocanalicular stent.
  • The treatments described are effectively positioned as initial surgical options before considering more complex procedures like conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomy.
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Background: Higher cholesterol absorption has been reported to be related to a higher incidence of cardiovascular events (CVEs). The KEEP (Kyushu Elderly Ezetimibe Phytosterol) study, a substudy of the EWTOPIA 75 (Ezetimibe Lipid-Lowering Trial on Prevention of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in 75 or Older) study, investigated the relationships of cholesterol absorption and synthesis markers with CVEs in older old individuals with hypercholesterolemia, particularly in relation to ezetimibe treatment.

Methods And Results: Eligible patients were those aged ≥75 years who had low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ≥140 mg/dL, no history of coronary artery disease, and no recent use of lipid-lowering drugs.

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Objectives: This study aimed to prevent the infection risk of environmental contamination by feces during endoscopic procedures. We evaluated the effect of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the gastrointestinal tract using fecal polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and examined risk factors affecting endoscopic procedures, to develop infection prevention strategies.

Methods: This single-center prospective observational study enrolled 32 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 at Tokyo Medical University Hospital between January and December 2022.

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