Effects of aging-related muscle degeneration on dynamic stability during walking: a musculoskeletal computer simulation study.

Introduction: Aging-related deficits in the physiological properties of skeletal muscles limit the control of dynamic stability during walking. However, the specific causal relationships between these factors remain unclear. This study evaluated the effects of aging-related deficits in muscle properties on dynamic stability during walking.

Knee joint extension limitation in female patients with knee osteoarthritis affects the infrapatellar fat pad hardness and hemoglobin concentration by isometric quadriceps exercise.

Objective: To investigate whether there is a difference in hardness and hemoglobin concentration changes in the infrapatellar fat pad (IFP) during isometric quadriceps exercise (IQE) in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) between those with and without knee extension limitation.

Design: In this cross-sectional study, data were collected at an orthopedic clinic from March 2022 to April 2023. Among patients diagnosed with KOA, those with knee joint extension range of motion <0° and >0° were defined as the limited group (n ​= ​16) and non-limited group (n ​= ​13), respectively.

Exploring the Trade-Off in the Variational Information Bottleneck for Regression with a Single Training Run.

An information bottleneck (IB) enables the acquisition of useful representations from data by retaining necessary information while reducing unnecessary information. In its objective function, the Lagrange multiplier β controls the trade-off between retention and reduction. This study analyzes the Variational Information Bottleneck (VIB), a standard IB method in deep learning, in the settings of regression problems and derives its optimal solution.

Association between body size and atrial myopathy: Investigation using the prevalence of left atrial low-voltage areas.

Background: Left atrial low-voltage areas (LVAs) are known to be associated with atrial myopathy and atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after catheter ablation. However, the association between body size and prevalence of LVAs has not been fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to clarify the association between body size and the prevalence of LVAs in patients with AF ablation.

Efficacy and safety of nivolumab and ipilimumab with or without chemotherapy for unresectable non-small cell lung cancer: a multicenter retrospective observational study.

Introduction: Compared to platinum-based therapies, a combination of ipilimumab (anti-CTLA-4) and nivolumab (anti-PD-1) has demonstrated improved outcomes in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), albeit with higher rates of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). This multicenter retrospective study evaluated the efficacy and safety of nivolumab and ipilimumab with or without chemotherapy (NI and NICT) in real-world clinical settings.

Methods: We enrolled 215 treatment-naïve NSCLC patients who received NI or NICT between December 2020 and May 2023 at 14 institutions in Japan.

Association Between Anterior Knee Pain and Soft Tissue Gliding of the Anterior Knee Region After Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective(s): To investigate the relationship between impaired gliding in the anterior knee region and anterior knee pain (AKP) in patients after total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Orthopedic hospital.

Current Status of Artificial Intelligence Use in Colonoscopy.

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) has significantly impacted medical imaging, particularly in gastrointestinal endoscopy. Computer-aided detection and diagnosis systems (CADe and CADx) are thought to enhance the quality of colonoscopy procedures.

Summary: Colonoscopy is essential for colorectal cancer screening but often misses a significant percentage of adenomas.

[A Case of Primary Angiosarcoma of the Small Intestine Triggered by Gastrointestinal Bleeding].

An 87-year-old man with complaints of palpitations and digestive bleeding previously visited another hospital. He was referred to our hospital because of anemia. Small bowel endoscopy revealed an elevated lesion with bleeding from the ileum.

Relationship Between the Sagittal and Coronary Alignment of the Tibiofemoral Joint and the Medial Meniscus Extrusion in Knee Osteoarthritis.

: This study aims to clarify the reproducibility, validity, and accuracy of tibial external-rotation alignment evaluation using ultrasound imaging and to investigate the relationship between medial meniscus extrusion (MME) and tibiofemoral alignment in both the sagittal and coronal planes in knee osteoarthritis (OA). : Study 1 included 10 healthy participants. The tibial external-rotation angle was calculated using MRI.

Trunk Muscle Cross-Sectional Areas at Hip Fractures and Their Association With Recovery of Postoperative Gait Ability: A Multicenter, Retrospective Cohort Study.

Purpose: To determine the relationship between trunk muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) measured using trunk computed tomography at the time of injury and gait ability at discharge.

Methods: This multicenter retrospective cohort study was performed in comprehensive rehabilitation units of four hospitals in Japan. The study included 442 patients with hip fractures who underwent surgery (bipolar hip arthroplasty or open reduction and internal fixation) and were hospitalized for treatment between January 2020 and January 2023.

Malaria parasites require a divergent heme oxygenase for apicoplast gene expression and biogenesis.

Malaria parasites have evolved unusual metabolic adaptations that specialize them for growth within heme-rich human erythrocytes. During blood-stage infection, parasites internalize and digest abundant host hemoglobin within the digestive vacuole. This massive catabolic process generates copious free heme, most of which is biomineralized into inert hemozoin.

Graft CD8 T cells for improving event-free survival after T cell-replete haploidentical stem cell transplantation in children with hematological malignancies.

T cell-replete haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (TCR-haplo-HSCT) is a potentially curative therapy for pediatric intractable hematological malignancies due to its graft-versus-leukemia efficacy. This single-center cohort study examined the effects of graft composition (T cell type and dose) on pediatric TCR-haplo-HSCT outcomes in 32 children with relapsed/intractable hematological malignancies. Graft T cell composition was classified using flow cytometry.

Postpartum multiple vertebral fractures in a patient with osteogenesis imperfecta type I: A case report and literature review.

A 39-year-old woman with type I osteogenesis imperfecta reported experiencing back pain at 35 weeks of gestation. Two days following an elective cesarean section, the patient developed a Th12 vertebral compression fracture; 3 weeks postoperatively, she sustained an L3 vertebral compression fracture. The patient displayed a lumbar spine -score of -1.

Lymph node metastasis risk factors in T2 colorectal cancer.

Objectives: This study evaluates risk factors for lymph node metastasis (LNM) in T2 colorectal cancer to refine patient selection for endoscopic resection.

Methods: We reviewed records from consecutive patients who had undergone curative surgical resection of T2 colorectal cancer at our institution in Japan between April 2001 and December 2021. Data on conventional clinicopathologic variables were retrieved from the pathology reports at the time of surgery.

Enhanced diaphragm excursion and exercise tolerance in COPD patients through inspiratory muscle training after standardised pulmonary rehabilitation: randomised controlled trial.

Objective: Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) is used to improve inspiratory muscle strength in patients with COPD. However, the effect of IMT on diaphragmatic function has not yet been thoroughly evaluated. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of IMT on maximum diaphragmatic excursion (DE) using ultrasonography in patients with COPD.

Does the flutter kick increase hand propulsion in front crawl swimming?

This study aimed to investigate the effect of the flutter kick on the propulsive force generated by a stroke. Eight male swimmers performed 20 m front crawl trials under two conditions: the Whole Condition, involving maximum effort (T100%) and stroke frequencies at 70, 80, and 90% of T100%, and the Arm Condition, which excluded the flutter kick and matched stroke frequencies with the Whole Condition. Various parameters, including swimming velocity, stroke frequency, stroke length, three-dimensional (3D) resultant hand speed, and hand propulsion were calculated based on underwater 3D motion analysis and hand pressure distribution measurements.

Automated Endoscopic Diagnosis in IBD: The Emerging Role of Artificial Intelligence.

The emerging role of artificial intelligence (AI) in automated endoscopic diagnosis represents a significant advancement in managing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). AI technologies are increasingly being applied to endoscopic imaging to enhance the diagnosis, prediction of severity, and progression of IBD and dysplasia-associated colitis surveillance. These AI-assisted endoscopy aim to improve diagnostic accuracy, reduce variability of endoscopy imaging interpretations, and assist clinicians in decision-making processes.

Can yStage Ⅰ/Ⅱ rectal cancer patients be treated in the same way as stage Ⅰ/Ⅱ patients?

Background: Neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) before radical surgery are effective treatments for locally advanced rectal cancer. However, the treatment strategy after NAT and surgery is still unclear. It is difficult to accurately evaluate the stage before NAT, as some cases are downstaged by NAT.

Age related differences in whole body and body part angular momentum in the frontal plane during walking.

The contribution of body part angular momentum (BPAM) to whole body angular momentum (WBAM) in the frontal plane during walking differs across age groups. We investigated age related differences in BPAM and WBAM during walking. We used marker coordinate data from a publicly available database for 54 individuals aged 20-30 years and 78 aged 60-70 years.

Correction to "Enhancing the Strength of Formed Coke from Woody Biomass with the Addition of Biomass Extracts".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1021/acs.energyfuels.

Efficacy of a whole slide image-based prediction model for lymph node metastasis in T1 colorectal cancer: A systematic review.

Background And Aim: Accurate stratification of the risk of lymph node metastasis (LNM) following endoscopic resection of submucosal invasive (T1) colorectal cancer (CRC) is imperative for determining the necessity for additional surgery. In this systematic review, we evaluated the efficacy of prediction of LNM by artificial intelligence (AI) models utilizing whole slide image (WSI) in patients with T1 CRC.

Methods: In accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, a systematic review was conducted through searches in PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase, and the Cochrane Library for relevant studies published up to December 2023.