α-Acid Glycoprotein with Highly Fucosylated Glycans as a Potential Diagnostic Marker for Early Detection of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Cancers.

: Previously, we reported elevated levels of fucosylated α-acid glycoprotein (fAGP) in plasma samples from patients with diverse types of cancers. Accordingly, fAGP was assumed to be a potential biomarker for the early detection of cancers. : The fAGP level was retrospectively measured in preoperative plasma samples from 213 patients with either hepatic, biliary tract, or pancreatic cancer and was analyzed together with levels of six existing tumor markers determined as reference standards.

Thoracoscopic Anatomic Segmentectomy Techniques for Rare Medial-Basal Segment (S7) Variants.

The medial-basal segment (S7) is the smallest of all the pulmonary segments and exhibits significant anatomic complexities. The procedures adopted to perform anatomic S7 segmentectomy differ according to branching pattern as the B7 may show 3 types. Although some studies have reported surgical procedures for thoracoscopic segmentectomy of the S7 and its anatomic variants, this type of segmentectomy remains challenging.

Objective Approach for Titration of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Using Daytime Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Titration Based on Respiratory Movement Regularity.

: Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is used to treat patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and has proven clinical efficacy for this condition. However, the objective method to determine the appropriate CPAP level for treatment is still unclear. Patients with OSA typically exhibit irregular respiratory efforts due to obstruction or narrowing of the upper airway during sleep.

Development of a Japanese Version of the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale, and Examining the Structure of Japanese Mothers' Parenting Self-Efficacy.

Objective: Parenting self-efficacy (PSE) is an important factor in children's development. Mothers' PSE tends to be the lowest 1 month postpartum. A common measure of PSE is the Parenting Sense of Competence (PSOC) scale.

Structural insights into how Cas9 targets nucleosomes.

The CRISPR-associated endonuclease Cas9 derived from prokaryotes is used as a genome editing, which targets specific genomic loci by single guide RNAs (sgRNAs). The eukaryotes, the target of genome editing, store their genome DNA in chromatin, in which the nucleosome is a basic unit. Despite previous structural analyses focusing on Cas9 cleaving free DNA, structural insights into Cas9 targeting of DNA within nucleosomes are limited, leading to uncertainties in understanding how Cas9 operates in the eukaryotic genome.