Influence of feeding a soft diet on proteoglycan expression in rat temporomandibular joint discs.

Objectives: Extracellular matrix components play a significant role in maintaining tissue integrity and pathological processes of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). This study aimed to evaluate the influence of a soft diet on the mRNA expression of proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) linked to proteoglycan core proteins in rat TMJ discs.

Methods: Thirty 4-week-old male Wistar rats were assigned to one of two groups: a control group fed a regular pellet diet and a soft diet group fed a powdered diet for 4 weeks.

Three-Dimensional Evaluation of Treatment Effects and Post-Treatment Stability of Maxillary Molar Intrusion Using Temporary Anchorage Devices in Open Bite Malocclusion.

We investigated treatment outcomes and post-treatment stability in 10 patients with an anterior open bite and nonsurgical orthodontics. The patients underwent maxillary molar intrusion using temporary anchorage devices (TADs) to deepen the overbite due to mandibular autorotation. Lateral cephalograms and dental cast models were obtained before treatment (T0), immediately after it (T1), and >1 year after it (T2).

Contributions of the light environment and co-sleeping to sleep consolidation into nighttime in early infants: A pilot study.

Background: Sleep consolidation into nighttime is considered the primary goal of sleep development in early infants. However, factors contributing to sleep consolidation into nighttime remain unclear.

Aim: To clarify the influences of the light environment and nighttime co-sleeping on sleep consolidation into nighttime in early infants.

A case of immunoglobulin G4-related retroperitoneal fibrosis and hypophysitis with antecedent respiratory disease followed by spontaneous remission and recurrence.

A 65-year-old man presented with apparent bronchopneumonia. After treatment with antibiotics, he showed eosinophilia. Computed tomography (CT) imaging revealed bilateral consolidation, ground-glass opacities with nodular consolidations, and pleural effusion.

SMN promotes mitochondrial metabolic maturation during myogenesis by regulating the MYOD-miRNA axis.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a congenital neuromuscular disease caused by the mutation or deletion of the gene. Although the primary cause of progressive muscle atrophy in SMA has classically been considered the degeneration of motor neurons, recent studies have indicated a skeletal muscle-specific pathological phenotype such as impaired mitochondrial function and enhanced cell death. Here, we found that the down-regulation of SMN causes mitochondrial dysfunction and subsequent cell death in in vitro models of skeletal myogenesis with both a murine C2C12 cell line and human induced pluripotent stem cells.

Preterm toddlers have low nighttime sleep quality and high daytime activity.

A number of studies have been made on the sleep characteristics of children born preterm in an attempt to develop methods to address the sleep problems commonly observed among such children. However, the reported sleep characteristics from these studies vary depending on the observation methods used, i.e.

School-based cognitive behavioural intervention programme for addressing anxiety in 10- to 11-year-olds using short classroom activities in Japan: a quasi-experimental study.

Background: Although several school-based cognitive behavioural intervention programmes have been developed in Japan to prevent and improve children's anxiety disorders, the substantial time required for their completion remains a problem.

Methods: A brief version of the cognitive behavioural programme called 'Journey of the Brave', developed for Japanese children was conducted among 90 children aged 10‒11 years using 20-min short classroom activities, and its effectiveness was examined. The children were divided into two groups: the intervention (n = 31) and control groups (n = 59).

Bacterial meningitis due to the group in children with cerebrospinal fluid leak.

The group constitutes a part of the oral flora in humans and has been reported to cause infective endocarditis, brain abscesses, sepsis, pneumonia, and peritonitis. However, the group rarely causes meningitis in children. We experienced a case of bacterial meningitis due to the group in a 14-year-old girl with Gorham-Stout disease undergoing treatment with sirolimus for skull base osteolysis and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak.

Evaluation of indices for predicting recovery of exercise tolerance in patients surviving allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Purpose: Decline in physical function in the early stage after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is a major challenge. Exercise tolerance tests, such as the 6-min walk test, are useful markers for predicting exercise tolerance and various other traits, including cardiometabolic risk and non-relapse mortality. This retrospective cohort study aimed to investigate and identify predictors of recovery of exercise tolerance in the early stage after allo-HSCT.

Craniofacial Characteristics and Orthodontic Treatment of Diamond Blackfan Syndrome: Two Case Reports.

Diamond Blackfan anemia (DBA) is a chronic congenital form of erythrocytic hypoplasia in which erythroid precursor cell levels are low. DBA reflects ribosomal dysfunction and is accompanied by hematopoietic cell apoptosis, anemia, and various somatic symptoms. We report the characteristic symptoms of the craniofacial region and the orthodontic treatments of two DBA cases.

Analysis of factors associated with patient-reported physical functioning scores at discharge of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients: a cross-sectional study.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to clarify the independent factors related to patient-reported physical functioning (PF) scores at discharge of patients who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).

Methods: A total of 103 patients who underwent allo-HSCT were included in this cross-sectional study. As a screening method, a single regression analysis was conducted with the PF domain in the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 at discharge as the dependent variable, and body mass index, adverse events related to HSCT, and objective physical functions as independent variables.

Recurrent acute necrotizing encephalopathy in a boy with RANBP2 mutation and thermolabile CPT2 variant: The first case of ANE1 in Japan.

Background: Acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE) is a severe encephalopathy associated with acute viral infection. While most ANE cases are sporadic, pathogenic variants in the gene RAN binding protein 2 (RANBP2) have been identified as a major cause of familial or recurrent ANE (ANE1). Although sporadic ANE predominantly affects Asian children, ANE1 is very rare in east Asia.

Impaired neuronal activity and differential gene expression in STXBP1 encephalopathy patient iPSC-derived GABAergic neurons.

Syntaxin-binding protein 1 (STXBP1; also called MUNC18-1), encoded by STXBP1, is an essential component of the molecular machinery that controls synaptic vesicle docking and fusion. De novo pathogenic variants of STXBP1 cause a complex set of neurological disturbances, namely STXBP1 encephalopathy (STXBP1-E) that includes epilepsy, neurodevelopmental disorders and neurodegeneration. Several animal studies have suggested the contribution of GABAergic dysfunction in STXBP1-E pathogenesis.

Higher exercise tolerance early after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the predictive marker for higher probability of later social reintegration.

As the proportion of long-term survivors after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is on the rise, it is essential to consider the significance of quality of life (QOL), including reintegration with society (returning to school or work). This retrospective cohort study aims to illustrate the precise epidemiology of social reintegration later after allo-HSCT and determine its predictive indicators. We enrolled 56 patients, and 40 patients (71%) attained social reintegration at 2 years post-HSCT.

Dmrt2 promotes transition of endochondral bone formation by linking Sox9 and Runx2.

Endochondral bone formation is fundamental for skeletal development. During this process, chondrocytes undergo multiple steps of differentiation and coordinated transition from a proliferating to a hypertrophic stage, which is critical to advance skeletal development. Here, we identified the transcription factor Dmrt2 (double-sex and mab-3 related transcription factor 2) as a Sox9-inducible gene that promotes chondrocyte hypertrophy in pre-hypertrophic chondrocytes.

A Case Report of Bacterial Meningitis Caused by an Emerging Strain of Penicillin-Resistant Non-Vaccine Serotype 10A.

The pneumococcal conjugate vaccines successfully decreased the incidence of invasive pneumococcal diseases and pneumococcal antibiotic resistance. However, they also led to serotype replacements. According to a report by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) in 2017, 96% of pneumococcal isolates obtained from children with IPD aged < 5 years were non-PCV13 serotypes.

Connective tissue growth factor promotes chemotaxis of preosteoblasts through integrin α5 and Ras during tensile force-induced intramembranous osteogenesis.

In vertebrates, new bone formation via intramembranous osteogenesis is a critical biological event for development, remodeling, and fracture healing of bones. Chemotaxis of osteoblast lineage cells is an essential cellular process in new bone formation. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is known to exert chemotactic properties on various cells; however, details of CTGF function in the chemotaxis of osteoblast lineage cells and underlying molecular biological mechanisms have not been clarified.

In vitro Neuromuscular Junction Induced from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.

The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is a specialized synapse that transmits action potentials from the motor neuron to skeletal muscle for mechanical movement. The architecture of the NMJ structure influences the functions of the neuron, the muscle and the mutual interaction. Previous studies have reported many strategies by co-culturing the motor neurons and myotubes to generate NMJ in vitro with complex induction process and long culture period but have struggled to recapitulate mature NMJ morphology and function.

Ten-m/Odz3 regulates migration and differentiation of chondrogenic ATDC5 cells via RhoA-mediated actin reorganization.

Tenascin-like molecule major (Ten-m)/odd Oz (Odz), a type II transmembrane molecule, is well known to modulate neural development. We have reported that Ten-m/Odz3 is expressed in cartilaginous tissues and cells. Actin cytoskeleton and its regulator ras homolog gene family member A (RhoA) are closely associated with chondrogenesis.

Methionine Enkephalin Suppresses Osteocyte Apoptosis Induced by Compressive Force through Regulation of Nuclear Translocation of NFATc1.

Mechanical stress stimulates bone remodeling, which occurs through bone formation and resorption, resulting in bone adaptation in response to the mechanical stress. Osteocytes perceive mechanical stress loaded to bones and promote bone remodeling through various cellular processes. Osteocyte apoptosis is considered a cellular process to induce bone resorption during mechanical stress-induced bone remodeling, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are not fully understood.

Meropenem pharmacokinetics during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and continuous haemodialysis: a case report.

Objectives: Pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters can change significantly during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and continuous haemodialysis. This case report describes the pharmacokinetics of a 3-h meropenem infusion in an infantile anuric patient on ECMO with continuous haemodialysis.

Case: A 19-month-old female patient with asplenia syndrome was admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit for postoperative management of an extracardiac total cavopulmonary connection procedure.