Influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the achievement of guideline targets for HbA1c, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol in people with diabetes in Japan.

Objective: In this study, we investigated whether the COVID-19 pandemic affected achievement of guideline targets for HbA1c, blood pressure (BP), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in people with diabetes mellitus (DM).

Materials And Methods: Data for 556 people with DM who were treated regularly for 4 years before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan were analyzed in this retrospective study. Achieved targets were defined as HbA1c < 7.

Isolation of a Nitromethane Anion in the Calix-Shaped Inorganic Cage.

A calix-shaped polyoxometalate, [VO] (), stabilizes an anion moiety in its central cavity. This molecule-sized container has the potential to control the reactivity of an anion. The highly-reactive cyanate is smoothly trapped by to form [VO(CN)].

Synthesis and structural characterization of tube-type tetradecavanadates.

By the reaction of ammonium perchlorate with anion-incorporated bowl-type dodecavanadates, viz. [VO(X)] [X = N (1), OCN and NO], tube-type tetradecavanadates, viz. (NH)[VO(X)] [X = N (2), OCN (3) and NO (4)] were synthesized.

Solid-State Umbrella-type Inversion of a VO Square-Pyramidal Unit in a Bowl-type Dodecavanadate Induced by Insertion and Elimination of a Guest Molecule.

Design of cavities for a target molecule and the elucidation of the corresponding host-guest interactions are important for molecular manipulation. A discrete dodecavanadate bowl, [V O ] (V12), with an entrance diameter of 4.4 Å and an electron-rich guest at the center of the bowl, was stabilized by electrostatic interactions.

Small-Molecule Anion Recognition by a Shape-Responsive Bowl-Type Dodecavanadate.

A dodecavanadate, [V O ] , is an inorganic bowl-type host with a cavity entrance with a diameter of 4.4 Å in the optimized structure. Linear, bent, and trigonal planar anions are tested as guest anions and the formation of host-guest complexes, [V O (X)] (X=CN , OCN , NO , NO , HCO , and CH CO ), were confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analyses and a V NMR spectroscopy study.

A Bowl-Type Dodecavanadate as a Halide Receptor.

The dodecavanadate framework, [VO], exhibits a unique bowl-type structure with an open molecular oxide cage having a cavity diameter of 4.4 Å, and different synthetic paths were required to construct the bowl-type structure with a different guest. A new dodecavanadate, {(-CH)N}[VO(CHNO)] (), is synthesized with a nitromethane guest, which is stacked above the entrance of the hemisphere rather than fully occupying the cavity, and it enables a guest-capturing reaction, while retaining the anionic cage structure.

A chloride capturing system via proton-induced structure transformation between opened- and closed-forms of dodecavanadates.

Chloride-incorporated dodecavanadates show two distinct structures of the monoprotonated-form [HV12O32(Cl)](4-) (closed-V12) with a spherical closed-structure and the opened-form [V12O32(Cl)](5-) (opened-V12). The reaction of closed-V12 with a stoichiometric amount of ethylenediamine drives the structure transformation reaction to opened-V12, quantitatively. From time dependent observations of (51)V NMR, a tube-type intermediate [V12O32(Cl)](5-) (tube-V12) was observed in the transformation process.

Facilitation of bone resorption activities in synovial lavage fluid patients with mandibular condyle fractures.

The aim of this study was to investigate the bone resorption effect of the mediators delivered in joint cavity of patients with mandibular condyle fractures by detecting osteoclast markers using cellular biochemistry methods, and by analysing bone resorption activities via inducing osteoclast differentiation of the infiltrated cells from arthrocentesis. Sixteen joints in 10 patients with mandibular condyle fractures were evaluated. The control group consisted of synovial fluid (SF) samples from seven joints of four volunteers who had no clinical signs or symptoms involving the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) or disc displacement.

Management of pediatric renal tumor: Past and future trials of the Japan Wilms Tumor Study Group.

The Japan Wilms Tumor Study group (JWiTS) was founded in 1996 to improve outcomes for children with renal tumor in Japan, and a nationwide multicenter cooperative study was initiated thereafter. JWiTS-1 (1996-2005) was analyzed, and JWiTS-2 (2005-2014) is now under analysis; the following problems have been identified and used to decide future study protocol: (i) there has been a decline in survival rate for patients with rhabdoid tumor of the kidney (RTK) and new treatment strategies are required; (ii) the survival rate for bilateral Wilms tumors (BWT) has improved, but results for renal preservation are unsatisfactory; (iii) the prognosis of stage IV favorable nephroblastoma is very good, suggesting that the current protocols provide overtreatment, particularly for patients with lung metastasis; and (iv) no effective biological risk factors exist for predicting the outcome of Wilms tumor, and a study of the genetic changes of these tumors is necessary to determine biological markers for use in risk classification. To solve these issues, the development of a new risk classification of pediatric renal tumors is required.

COMPARISON OF THE FEMORAL HEAD HEIGHT/NECK LENGTH RATIO BETWEEN THE UNAFFECTED HIP OF PATIENTS WITH A UNILATERAL SLIPPED FEMORAL HEAD AND THE HIPS OF INDIVIDUALS WITHOUT A SLIPPED FEMORAL HEAD.

Objective - To compare the head/neck ratio on the contralateral side of patients with a unilateral slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) with control individuals. Methods - Seventeen patients who were followed up at the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil, between 1985 and 2007, were assessed. The control group consisted of 34 individuals from the same place who were matched for gender and age, with a history of trauma that necessitated pelvic radiography.

Piezoelectric properties of (K,Na)NbO3 thin films deposited on (001)SrRuO3/Pt/MgO substrates.

(K(x),Na(1-x))NbO(3) (KNN) thin films were deposited on (001)SrRuO(3)/(001)Pt/(001)MgO substrates by RF-magnetron sputtering, and their piezoelectric properties were investigated. The x-ray diffraction measurements indicated that the KNN thin films were epitaxially grown with the c-axis orientation in the perovskite tetragonal system. The lattice constant of the c-axis increased with increasing concentrations of potassium.

Specificity, duplex degradation and subcellular localization of antagomirs.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are an abundant class of 20-23-nt long regulators of gene expression. The study of miRNA function in mice and potential therapeutic approaches largely depend on modified oligonucleotides. We recently demonstrated silencing miRNA function in mice using chemically modified and cholesterol-conjugated RNAs termed 'antagomirs'.

Interleukin 15-dependent crosstalk between conventional and plasmacytoid dendritic cells is essential for CpG-induced immune activation.

The function of interleukin 15 (IL-15) in unmethylated CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (CpG)-induced immune responses remains unknown. Here, in response to CpG, both wild-type and natural killer cell-depleted mice produced IL-12 and became resistant to a lethal dose of Listeria monocytogenes. In contrast, CpG-treated IL-15-deficient mice produced little IL-12 and succumbed to L.

Molecular-dynamics evaluation of fluid-phase equilibrium properties by a novel free-energy perturbation approach: application to gas solubility and vapor pressure of liquid hexane.

A novel free-energy perturbation method is developed for the computation of the free energy of transferring a molecule between fluid phases. The methodology consists in drawing a free-energy profile of the target molecule moving across a binary-phase structure built in the computer. The novelty of the method lies in the difference of the definition of the free-energy profile from the common definition.

Tmem27: a cleaved and shed plasma membrane protein that stimulates pancreatic beta cell proliferation.

The signals and molecular mechanisms that regulate the replication of terminally differentiated beta cells are unknown. Here, we report the identification and characterization of transmembrane protein 27 (Tmem27, collectrin) in pancreatic beta cells. Expression of Tmem27 is reduced in Tcf1(-/-) mice and is increased in islets of mouse models with hypertrophy of the endocrine pancreas.

Forkhead box A1 regulates prostate ductal morphogenesis and promotes epithelial cell maturation.

We have previously shown that a forkhead transcription factor Foxa1 interacts with androgen signaling and controls prostate differentiated response. Here, we show the mouse Foxa1 expression marks the entire embryonic urogenital sinus epithelium (UGE), contrasting with Shh and Foxa2, which are restricted to the basally located cells during prostate budding. The Foxa1-deficient mouse prostate shows a severely altered ductal pattern that resembles primitive epithelial cords surrounded by thick stromal layers.

Sugioka's Modified Hungria-Kramer intertrochanteric osteotomy in the treatment of severe slipped capital femoral epiphysis.

From May 1990 to November 1997, 24 cases of severe slipped capital femoral epiphysis were treated by an osteotomy that is a modification of the Hungria-Kramer intertrochanteric osteotomy proposed by Sugioka (Hungria-Kramer-Sugioka osteotomy or HKS osteotomy). The degree of displacement as seen on the frog-leg lateral radiograph of the proximal femur was measured according to the deviation of the longitudinal axis of the epiphysis from the center line of the neck (Fish classification). All hips were considered as grade III and underwent HKS osteotomy.

A pancreatic islet-specific microRNA regulates insulin secretion.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) constitute a growing class of non-coding RNAs that are thought to regulate gene expression by translational repression. Several miRNAs in animals exhibit tissue-specific or developmental-stage-specific expression, indicating that they could play important roles in many biological processes. To study the role of miRNAs in pancreatic endocrine cells we cloned and identified a novel, evolutionarily conserved and islet-specific miRNA (miR-375).

Salter innominate osteotomy in the treatment of severe Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease: clinical and radiographic results in 32 patients (37 hips) at skeletal maturity.

Between 1979 and 1992, 32 patients (37 hips) were treated in the authors' institution by Salter osteotomy for Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease. Twenty-four patients were male and eight female. Nineteen patients were younger than 7 years of age (84 months).

[Combination chemotherapy with nedaplatin and 5-fluorouracil for oral squamous cell carcinomas].

We used a new combination chemotherapy with nedaplatin (CDGP) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in eleven fresh patients with oral squamous cell carcinomas. 5-FU was administered at a dose of 1,000 mg/body by continuous infusion for 24 hours on days 1 to 5. CDGP was administered at a dose of 80 or 100 mg/m2 by drip infusion for 120 minutes on day 5.

Role of Foxa-2 in adipocyte metabolism and differentiation.

Hepatocyte nuclear factors-3 (Foxa-1-3) are winged forkhead transcription factors that regulate gene expression in the liver and pancreatic islets and are required for normal metabolism. Here we show that Foxa-2 is expressed in preadipocytes and induced de novo in adipocytes of genetic and diet-induced rodent models of obesity. In preadipocytes Foxa-2 inhibits adipocyte differentiation by activating transcription of the Pref-1 gene.

Clinical utility of a rapid test for uristatin.

Objectives: Uristatin is a trypsin inhibitor present in urine that is increased in most patients with bacterial or viral infections and in many with inflammatory disorders. We included the assay of uristatin as part of a screening program carried out by pediatricians on 4207 Japanese schoolchildren to judge the ability of uristatin to identify those with an infection and (or) inflammation of any cause. We used urine dipsticks for the assay of uristatin, creatinine, albumin, blood, leukocyte esterase, and protein.

Profound defects in pancreatic beta-cell function in mice with combined heterozygous mutations in Pdx-1, Hnf-1alpha, and Hnf-3beta.

Defects in pancreatic beta-cell function contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes, a polygenic disease that is characterized by insulin resistance and compromised insulin secretion. Hepatocyte nuclear factors (HNFs) -1alpha, -3beta, -4alpha, and Pdx-1 contribute in the complex transcriptional circuits within the pancreas that are involved in beta-cell development and function. In mice, a heterozygous mutation in Pdx-1 alone, but not Hnf-1alpha(+/-), Hnf-3beta(+/-), or Hnf-4alpha(+/-), causes impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in mice.

Comparison between Salter's innominate osteotomy and augmented acetabuloplasty in the treatment of patients with severe Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease. Analysis of 90 hips with special reference to roentgenographic sphericity and coverage of the femoral head.

This is a roentgenographic and retrospective study comparing the results of two different operative procedures used in the treatment of Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease: Salter innominate osteotomy, and Augmented Acetabuloplasty. Group I comprised 43 patients (50 hips) who underwent Salter osteotomy. Another 40 patients (40 hips) were treated by Augmented Acetabuloplasty and formed Group 2.

Urinary trypsin inhibitor levels in the urine of patients with haematological malignancies.

The urinary trypsin inhibitor (UTI) levels in the urine of patients with various haematological malignancies were determined, using automated latex agglutination immunoturbidimetry. The mean UTI levels in urine in acute non-lymphocytic leukaemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and multiple myeloma groups were significantly elevated, compared with the normal control group. It was found that the UTI level in urine changed from an elevated value to a normal value with haematological improvement by chemotherapy in a patient with myelodysplastic syndrome included in a previous study.