Association Between Low Tongue Pressure and Physical Abnormalities in Adolescent and Young Adult Women: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: We examined the factors associated with low tongue pressure to clarify its association with physical abnormalities in adolescent and young adult women.

Methods: This study enrolled 92 women aged 10-20 years. Following the collection of anthropometric data, measurements were performed, including grip strength, maximum occlusal force, maximum tongue pressure, and masticatory performance.

Effects of jaw movement in bimaxillary orthognathic surgery on the upper airway: Computational fluid dynamics analysis.

Maxillomandibular repositioning in orthognathic surgeries has both morphologic and functional effects. These surgeries are thought to change the pharyngeal space and cause obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, however. The primary purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of jaw movement in bimaxillary orthognathic surgery on airway function and to identify the morphometric factors that can predict postoperative airway function.

Three-dimensional Analysis of Factors Related to the Effective Alveolar Molding in Presurgical Infant Orthopedics: Findings From a Pilot Study.

Objective: Presurgical infant orthopedics (PIO) reduces the severity of the original cleft and burden on patients and their parents, provides better esthetics and function, and enables surgeons to achieve better surgical repair. To reduce the alveolar cleft width and to predict treatment difficulty using PIO, various measures were examined in pretreatment cast models.

Design: Retrospective case-control pilot study.

Orthodontic treatment of a skeletal Class III malocclusion with severe root resorption of the maxillary anterior teeth. Autotransplantation using a 3-dimensional printed replica of the donor tooth.

This case report describes the successful orthodontic treatment of a 12-year-old girl with skeletal Class III malocclusion and severe root resorption of the maxillary anterior teeth. Ectopic eruption and mesial inclination of the bilateral maxillary canines caused severe root resorption of the right central and lateral incisors and the left lateral incisor. These 3 teeth were extracted, and traction was applied to the maxillary right and left canines toward the extracted right central incisor and left lateral incisor, respectively.

An integrative approach using real-world data to identify alternative therapeutic uses of existing drugs.

Different computational approaches are employed to efficiently identify novel repositioning possibilities utilizing different sources of information and algorithms. It is critical to propose high-valued candidate-repositioning possibilities before conducting lengthy in vivo validation studies that consume significant resources. Here we report a novel multi-methodological approach to identify opportunities for drug repositioning.

Effects of FKBP12 and type II BMP receptors on signal transduction by ALK2 activating mutations associated with genetic disorders.

Various substitution mutations in ALK2, a transmembrane serine/threonine kinase receptor for bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), have been identified in patients with genetic disorders such as fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP), diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) and heart defects. In this study, we characterized the ALK2 mutants R258G, G328V and F246Y, which were identified in patients with severe FOP, DIPG and unusual hereditary skeletal dysplasia, respectively. Both R258G and G328V were gain-of-function mutations, but F246Y was equivalent to wild-type ALK2.

Monovalent manganese based anodes and co-solvent electrolyte for stable low-cost high-rate sodium-ion batteries.

The demand of sustainable power supply requires high-performance cost-effective energy storage technologies. Here we report a high-rate long-life low-cost sodium-ion battery full-cell system by innovating both the anode and the electrolyte. The redox couple of manganese(I/II) in Prussian blue analogs enables a high-rate and stable anode.

Association between Serum Amiodarone and N-Desethylamiodarone Concentrations and Development of Thyroid Dysfunction.

Objective: This retrospective cohort study was performed to examine the association between serum amiodarone (AMD) and N-desethylamiodarone (DEA) concentrations and the development of thyroid dysfunction.

Methods: Patients treated with AMD from January 2012 to April 2016 were identified from the computerized hospital information system database at the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center. Only patients whose serum AMD and DEA concentrations had been determined at least once were included in the study.

The influence of residual apixaban on bleeding complications during and after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation.

Background: The periprocedural protocol for atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation commonly includes anticoagulation therapy. Apixaban, a direct oral anticoagulant, is currently approved for clinical use; however, little is known about the effects of residual apixaban concentration on bleeding complications during/after AF ablation. Therefore, we measured residual apixaban concentration by using mass spectrometry and examined the anticoagulant's residual effects on bleeding complications.

Association between N-desethylamiodarone/amiodarone ratio and amiodarone-induced thyroid dysfunction.

Purpose: We used a retrospective data mining approach to explore the association between serum amiodarone (AMD) and N-desethylamiodarone (DEA) concentrations and thyroid-related hormone levels.

Methods: Laboratory data sets from January 2012 to April 2016 were extracted from the computerized hospital information system database at the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center (NCVC). Data sets that contained serum AMD and DEA concentrations and thyroid function tests, including thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), and free triiodothyronine (FT3), were analyzed.

Angiotensin receptor blockers and the risk of cancer: data mining of a spontaneous reporting database and a claims database .

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the associations between angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and the risk of 10 major cancers by employing different pharmacoepidemiological assessments.

Materials And Methods: Data from the first quarter of 2004 through 2012 were downloaded from the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). The reporting odds ratio (ROR) and information component (IC) were used to detect the signals.

Targeted Delivery of Interferon Gamma Using a Recombinant Fusion Protein of a Fibrin Clot-Binding Peptide With Interferon Gamma for Cancer Gene Therapy.

Accelerated formation of fibrin clots in a tumor microenvironment can be used for targeted delivery of interferon gamma (IFNγ) to tumor cells. Here, we selected cysteine-arginine-glutamic acid-lysine-alanine (CREKA) as the fibrin clot-binding peptide and designed 2 types of fusion proteins for tumor targeting. The CREKA peptide was fused to IFNγ's C-terminus, with or without a matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2)-cleavable linker (IFNγ-mmp-CREKA or IFNγ-CREKA, respectively).

Risk factors for amiodarone-induced thyroid dysfunction in Japan.

Background: Amiodarone is associated with a number of significant adverse effects, including elevated transaminase levels, pulmonary fibrosis, arrhythmia, and thyroid dysfunction. Although thyroid dysfunction is considered to be a common and potentially serious adverse effect of amiodarone therapy, the exact pathogenesis remains unknown because of its complex manifestations. Therefore, the prevalence of, and risk factors for, amiodarone-induced thyroid dysfunction in Japanese patients were investigated in the present study.

Association between Benzodiazepine Use and Dementia: Data Mining of Different Medical Databases.

Some studies have suggested that the use of benzodiazepines in the elderly is associated with an increased risk of dementia. However, this association might be due to confounding by indication and reverse causation. To examine the association between benzodiazepine anxiolytic drug use and the risk of dementia, we conducted data mining of a spontaneous reporting database and a large organized database of prescriptions.

Long-term impact of therapeutic drug monitoring on the risk of hypoglycemia in HOCM patients on cibenzoline therapy .

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term impact of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) services on the risk of hypoglycemia in cibenzoline therapy. In addition, we evaluated the impact of changes in clinical setting or patient background on the risk of hypoglycemia in patients receiving cibenzoline.

Methods: TDM services for cibenzoline have been performed at the Japan National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center since March 1998.

Epigenetic alteration to activate Bmp2-Smad signaling in Raf-induced senescence.

Aim: To investigate epigenomic and gene expression alterations during cellular senescence induced by oncogenic Raf.

Methods: Cellular senescence was induced into mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) by infecting retrovirus to express oncogenic Raf (RafV600E). RNA was collected from RafV600E cells as well as MEFs without infection and MEFs with mock infection, and a genome-wide gene expression analysis was performed using microarray.

Combined Secretomics and Transcriptomics Revealed Cancer-Derived GDF15 is Involved in Diffuse-Type Gastric Cancer Progression and Fibroblast Activation.

Gastric cancer is classified into two subtypes, diffuse and intestinal. The diffuse-type gastric cancer (DGC) has poorer prognosis, and the molecular pathology is not yet fully understood. The purpose of this study was to identify functional secreted molecules involved in DGC progression.

Inverse Association between Sodium Channel-Blocking Antiepileptic Drug Use and Cancer: Data Mining of Spontaneous Reporting and Claims Databases.

Purpose: Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) are drug targets for the treatment of epilepsy. Recently, a decreased risk of cancer associated with sodium channel-blocking antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) has become a research focus of interest. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that the use of sodium channel-blocking AEDs are inversely associated with cancer, using different methodologies, algorithms, and databases.

Epigenomic Regulation of Smad1 Signaling During Cellular Senescence Induced by Ras Activation.

Epigenomic modification plays important roles in regulating gene expression during development, differentiation, and cellular senescence. When oncogenes are activated, cells fall into stable growth arrest to block cellular proliferation, which is called oncogene-induced senescence. We recently identified through genome-wide analyses that Bmp2-Smad1 signal and its regulation by harmonized epigenomic alteration play an important role in Ras-induced senescence of mouse embryonic fibroblasts.

Association between statin use and cancer: data mining of a spontaneous reporting database and a claims database.

Purpose: In recent years, the potential risk of cancer associated with statin use has been a focus of much interest. However, it remains uncertain whether statin therapy is associated with cancer risk. To examine the association between statin use and the risk of cancer, we conducted data mining using the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) and a large organized database of claims constructed by a database vendor (The Japan Medical Data Center Co.

Establishment of a novel model of chondrogenesis using murine embryonic stem cells carrying fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva-associated mutant ALK2.

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is a genetic disorder characterized by heterotopic endochondral ossification in soft tissue. A mutation in the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) receptor ALK2, R206H, has been identified in patients with typical FOP. In the present study, we established murine embryonic stem (ES) cells that express wild-type human ALK2 or typical mutant human ALK2 [ALK2(R206H)] under the control of the Tet-Off system.

Mutant activin-like kinase 2 in fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva are activated via T203 by BMP type II receptors.

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is a genetic disorder characterized by progressive heterotopic ossification in soft tissues, such as the skeletal muscles. FOP has been shown to be caused by gain-of-function mutations in activin receptor-like kinase (ALK)-2, which is a type I receptor for bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs). In the present study, we examined the molecular mechanisms that underlie the activation of intracellular signaling by mutant ALK2.

Association of statin use with storage lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS): data mining of prescription database.

Objective: The efficacy and safety of statins have been studied in a number of clinical trials and epidemiological studies. In recent years, the Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has assessed the evidence available on the following adverse reactions associated with the use of statins: sleep disturbances, memory loss, micturition disorders (problems with urination), sexual disturbances, depression, and interstitial pneumopathy. However, the association between statin use and the risk of these adverse reactions remains unclear.