Autistic trait severity in early schizophrenia: Role in subjective quality of life and social functioning.

Background: Cognitive impairment is a cardinal feature in patients with schizophrenia and leads to poor social functioning. Recently, the treatment of schizophrenia has evolved to include the goal of improving quality of life (QoL). However, most of the factors influencing subjective QoL are unknown.

A randomized sham-controlled trial of transcranial and intranasal photobiomodulation in Japanese patients with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia due to Alzheimer's disease: a protocol.

Introduction: Photobiomodulation (PBM) is a novel strategy for cognitive enhancement by improving brain metabolism and blood flow. It is potentially beneficial for patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). We present a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of PBM.

Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell sheets transplanted subcutaneously enhance cell retention and survival more than dissociated stem cell injections.

Background: Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell (hUC-MSC) sheets have recently attracted attention as an alternative approach to injected cell suspensions for stem cell therapy. However, cell engraftment and cytokine expression levels between hUC-MSC sheets and their cell suspensions in vivo have not yet been compared. This study compares hUC-MSC in vivo engraftment efficacy and cytokine expression for both hUC-MSC sheets and cell suspensions.

Self-Folding Macromolecular Drug Carrier for Cancer Imaging and Therapy.

Nano-sized contrast agents (NCAs) hold potential for highly specific tumor contrast enhancement during magnetic resonance imaging. Given the quantity of contrast agents loaded into a single nano-carrier and the anticipated relaxation effects, the current molecular design approaches its limits. In this study, a novel molecular mechanism to augment the relaxation of NCAs is introduced and demonstrated.

Effects of the F-number on the generation condition of a diode-laser-sustained plasma.

A laser-sustained plasma (LSP) is a promising method for generating atmospheric-pressure plasmas. Although diode lasers are highly efficient, compact, and low-cost light sources for LSP, previous studies have reported that the laser power required for LSP generation is high, owing to the poor beam quality of diode lasers. In this study, we attempted to generate an LSP using a 4-kW-class diode laser with different F-numbers.

Prevalence, Clinical Profiles, and Prognosis of Stiff-Person Syndrome in a Japanese Nationwide Survey.

Background And Objectives: To elucidate current epidemiologic, clinical, and immunologic profiles and treatments of stiff-person syndrome (SPS) in Japan.

Methods: A nationwide mail survey was conducted using an established method. Data processing sheets were sent to randomly selected departments of internal medicine, neurology, pediatrics, psychiatry, and neurosurgery in hospitals and clinics throughout Japan to identify patients with SPS who were seen between January 2015 and December 2017.

Polymeric ligands comprising sulfur-containing amino acids for targeting tumor-associated amino acid transporters.

Various cancer cells overexpress L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) to take up a large number of neutral amino acids such as phenylalanine and methionine, and LAT1 transporter should be a promising target for cancer diagnosis and therapy. However, only a few studies reported drug delivery systems targeting LAT1 probably due to limited knowledge about the interaction between LAT1 and its substrate. Here, we developed polymers having methionine (Met)- or cysteine (Cys)-like structures on their side chains to examine their affinity with LAT1.

Thermo-Responsive Polymer-siRNA Conjugates Enabling Artificial Control of Gene Silencing around Body Temperature.

Purpose: Controlling small interfering RNA (siRNA) activity by external stimuli is useful to exert a selective therapeutic effect at the target site. This study aims to develop a technology to control siRNA activity in a thermo-responsive manner, which can be utilized even at temperatures close to body temperature.

Methods: siRNA was conjugated with a thermo-responsive copolymer that was synthesized by copolymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) and hydrophilic N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAA) to permit thermally controlled interaction between siRNA and an intracellular gene silencing-related protein by utilizing the coil-to-globule phase transition of the copolymer.

Two-step nationwide epidemiological survey of myasthenia gravis in Japan 2018.

Objective: To study the updated prevalence and clinical features of myasthenia gravis (MG) in Japan during 2017.

Methods: We sent survey sheets to the randomly selected medical departments (number = 7,545). First, we asked the number of MG patients who visited medical departments from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2017.

Nationwide survey of Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome in Japan.

Background: There was no nationwide epidemiological study of Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) in Japan; therefore, we conducted a nationwide survey.

Methods: For the first survey, we sent survey sheets to randomly selected medical departments (n=7545) to obtain the number of LEMS who visited medical departments between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2017. For the second survey, we sent survey sheets to the corresponding medical departments to obtain clinical information on LEMS.

Cancerous pH-responsive polycarboxybetaine-coated lipid nanoparticle for smart delivery of siRNA against subcutaneous tumor model in mice.

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have been commonly used as a vehicle for nucleic acids, such as small interfering RNA (siRNA); the surface modification of LNPs is one of the determinants of their delivery efficiency especially in systemic administration. However, the applications of siRNA-encapsulated LNPs are limited due to a lack effective systems to deliver to solid tumors. Here, we report a smart surface modification using a charge-switchable ethylenediamine-based polycarboxybetaine for enhancing tumor accumulation via interaction with anionic tumorous tissue constituents due to selective switching to cationic charge in response to cancerous acidic pH.

Sex Differences in Social Cognition and Association of Social Cognition and Neurocognition in Early Course Schizophrenia.

Background: Both impairment and sex differences in social cognition and neurocognition have been documented in schizophrenia. However, whether sex differences exist in the association between social cognition and neurocognition are not known. We aimed to investigate the contribution of areas of neurocognition to theory of mind (ToM) and hostility bias, representing social cognition, according to sex in early course schizophrenia.

Changeable net charge on nanoparticles facilitates intratumor accumulation and penetration.

The Enhanced Permeability and Retention (EPR) effect is a golden strategy for the nanoparticle (NP)-based targeting of solid tumors, and the surface property of NPs might be a determinant on their targeting efficiency. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is commonly used as a shell material; however, it has been pointed out that PEG-coated NPs may exhibit accumulation near tumor vasculature rather than having homogenous intratumor distribution. The PEG shell plays a pivotal role on prolonged blood circulation of NPs but potentially impairs the intratumor retention of NPs.

Electrodeless hydrogen production from seawater using femtosecond laser pulses.

This study presents the first experimental evidence of direct H production from seawater without harmful gas emissions (, CO, Cl), which uses multiphoton ionization water splitting with a femtosecond pulse laser. According to H analysis using a gas chromatograph, the H production rate in seawater was 70 μmol h, which was approximately 3.3 times more than the ultrapure water case reported in the literature.

Quantitative Analysis of Acoustic Pressure for Sonophoresis and Its Effect on Transdermal Penetration.

Ultrasound facilitates the penetration of macromolecular compounds through the skin and offers a promising non-invasive technique for transdermal delivery. However, technical difficulties in quantifying ultrasound-related parameters have restricted further analysis of the sonophoresis mechanism. In this study, we devise a bolt-clamped Langevin transducer-based sonophoresis device that enables us to measure with a thin lead zirconate titanate (PZT) sensor.

Systemically Applicable Glutamine-Functionalized Polymer Exerting Multivalent Interaction with Tumors Overexpressing ASCT2.

Transporter ASCT2, which predominantly imports glutamine (Gln), is overexpressed in a variety of cancer cells, and targeting ASCT2 is expected to be a promising approach for tumor diagnosis and therapy. In this work, we designed a series of glutamine-modified poly(l-lysine) (PLys(Gln)) homopolymers and PEG-PLys(Gln) block copolymers and investigated their tumor-targeting abilities. With increasing degree of polymerization in the PLys(Gln) homopolymers, their cellular uptake was gradually enhanced through multivalent interactions with ASCT2.

The ERM protein moesin regulates natural killer cell homeostasis in vivo.

Moesin is a member of the ezrin-radixin-moesin (ERM) family of proteins that link plasma membrane proteins with actin filaments in the cell cortex. Hemizygous mutations in the X-linked moesin gene are associated with primary immunodeficiency with T and B cell lymphopenia, which also affects natural killer (NK) cells in most cases. We previously showed that moesin deficiency in mice substantially affects lymphocyte homeostasis, but its impact on NK cells remains unexplored.

Sequentially Self-Assembled Nanoreactor Comprising Tannic Acid and Phenylboronic Acid-Conjugated Polymers Inducing Tumor-Selective Enzymatic Activity.

The construction of enzyme delivery systems, which can control enzymatic activity at a target site, is important for efficient enzyme-prodrug therapy/diagnosis. Herein we report a facile technique to construct a systemically applicable β-galactosidase (β-Gal)-loaded ternary complex comprising tannic acid (TA) and phenylboronic acid-conjugated polymers through sequential self-assembly in aqueous solution. At physiological conditions, the ternary complex exhibited a hydrodynamic diameter of ∼40 nm and protected the loaded β-Gal from unfavorable degradation by proteinase.

Polymeric Iron Chelators Enhancing Pro-Oxidant Antitumor Efficacy of Vitamin C by Inhibiting the Extracellular Fenton Reaction.

Intravenously injected high-dose vitamin C (VC) induces extracellular HO, which can penetrate into the tumor cells and suppress tumor growth. However, extracellular labile iron ions in the tumor decompose HO via the Fenton reaction, limiting the therapeutic effect. In this regard, we recently developed a polymeric iron chelator that can inactivate the intratumoral labile iron ions.

LSTM Neural Network for Inferring Conduction Velocity Distribution in Demyelinating Neuropathies.

Waveform analysis of compound muscle action potential (CMAP) is important in the detailed analysis of conduction velocities of each axon as seen in temporal dispersion. This understanding is limited because conduction velocity distribution cannot be easily available from a CMAP waveform. Given the recent advent of artificial intelligence, this study aimed to assess whether conduction velocity (CV) distribution can be inferred from CMAP by the use of deep learning algorithms.

Plasma Atomization of Strontium Chloride Powder by a Supersonic Plasma Jet and Measurement of Its Efficiency Using Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy.

Direct elemental and isotope analyses of solid samples have attracted considerable interest due to their potential role in preventing serious accidents at nuclear facilities. We previously developed an analytical method for detecting radioactive isotopes, combining diode laser absorption spectroscopy with a supersonic plasma jet. Its basic performance, that is, the detection limit as well as the translational temperature upstream and downstream of the supersonic nozzle, was investigated using stable Xe isotopes.

Fructose-functionalized polymers to enhance therapeutic potential of p-boronophenylalanine for neutron capture therapy.

In boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), boron drugs should accumulate selectively within a tumor and be quickly cleared from blood and normal organs. However, it is usually challenging to achieve the efficient tumor accumulation and the quick clearance simultaneously. Here we report the complex composed of a fructose-modified poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(l-lysine) block copolymer and p-boronophenylalanine, termed PEG-P[Lys/Lys(fructose)]-BPA, as a boron delivery system permitting selective accumulation within the target tumor with quick clearance from normal organs as well as blood.

Systemic cellular immunity and neuroinflammation during acute flare-up in multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder patients.

Twenty-seven treatment-naïve patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) and 13 with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) were enrolled during a time of acute flare-up. Common cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) features were increased CD29- and/or CD45RO-positive helper T cells capable of propagating inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS). B cell activation in the CSF was unique to MS, while an increase in CD4CD192 (CCR2) cells in blood and breakdown of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) characterized NMOSD.

HLA genotype-clinical phenotype correlations in multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders based on Japan MS/NMOSD Biobank data.

HLA genotype-clinical phenotype correlations are not established for multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD). We studied HLA-DRB1/DPB1 genotype-phenotype correlations in 528 MS and 165 NMOSD cases using Japan MS/NMOSD Biobank materials. HLA-DRB1*04:05, DRB1*15:01 and DPB1*03:01 correlated with MS susceptibility and DRB1*01:01, DRB1*09:01, DRB1*13:02 and DPB1*04:01 were protective against MS.