Excessive BMP3b suppresses skeletal muscle differentiation.

Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-3b, also known as growth differentiation factor (GDF)-10, belongs to the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β superfamily. Despite being named a BMP, BMP3b is considered as an intermediate between the TGFβ/activin/myostatin and BMP/GDF subgroups of the TGFβ superfamily. Myoblast differentiation is tightly regulated by various cytokines, including the TGFβ superfamily members.

Practice locations of physicians with highly educated spouses in Japan: A cross-sectional study using National Census Data.

Background: Having highly educated spouses may influence physicians' choice of practice location.

Methods: We analyzed a representative physician sample in the 2020 Japan Population Census.

Results: Regression analyses adjusting for physicians' characteristics showed that physicians married to highly educated (with a graduate degree) spouses were less likely to practice in low physician supply areas (LPSAs) than other married physicians (adjusted, 7.

Association Between Coexisting Constipation and Heart Failure Readmission in Patients With Heart Failure - A Nationwide Database Study.

Background: Constipation often coexists with heart failure (HF) and can cause increased blood pressure variability, which may increase the risk of repeated HF admissions. However, large-scale contemporary data regarding the prognostic effect of constipation in patients with HF are lacking.

Methods And Results: We retrospectively identified 556,792 patients admitted for HF for the first time and discharged alive in the fiscal years 2016-2021 using the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database.

Immobilization of laccases on mechanically ground silk fibroin nanofibers for enhanced stability.

Azo dyes in textile industry effluents pose significant health and environmental risks. Laccase is an enzyme capable of degrading azo dyes, offering an environmentally friendly solution for treating textile wastewater. However, laccases need to be immobilized on specific carriers to enable effective reuse in batch reactors and continuous operation in flow-through reactors.

Sublingual immune cell clusters and dendritic cell distribution in the oral cavity.

The oral mucosa is the first line of defense against pathogenic bacteria and plays a vital role in maintaining tolerance to food antigens and commensal bacteria. We used CD11c reporter mice to visualize dendritic cells (DCs), a key immune cell population, in the oral cavity. We identified differences in DC density in each oral tissue region.

Direct observation of photoinduced sequential spin transition in a halogen-bonded hybrid system by complementary ultrafast optical and electron probes.

A detailed understanding of the ultrafast dynamics of halogen-bonded materials is desired for designing supramolecular materials and tuning various electronic properties by external stimuli. Here, a prototypical halogen-bonded multifunctional material containing spin crossover (SCO) cations and paramagnetic radical anions is studied as a model system of photo-switchable SCO hybrid systems using ultrafast electron diffraction and two complementary optical spectroscopic techniques. Our results reveal a sequential dynamics from SCO to radical dimer softening, uncovering a key transient intermediate state.

Characteristics of first-time users of the nursing small-scale multifunctional home care service: a pooled cross-sectional study using Japanese long-term care insurance claims data from 2012 to 2019.

Objectives: In April 2012, the Japanese government launched a new nursing service called the nursing small-scale multifunctional home care (NSMHC) to meet the nursing care demands of individuals with moderate-to-severe activities of daily living (ADLs) dysfunction and who require medical care, thereby allowing them to continue living in the community. We aimed to preliminarily analyse the characteristics of first-time users of NSMHC service.

Design: This pooled cross-sectional study used the Japanese long-term care insurance (LTCI) claims data from the users' first use of NSMHC (from April 2012 to December 2019).

Three stepwise pH progressions in stratum corneum for homeostatic maintenance of the skin.

The stratum corneum is the outermost skin layer with a vital role in skin barrier function. It is comprised of dead keratinocytes (corneocytes) and is known to maintain its thickness by shedding cells, although, the precise mechanisms that safeguard stratum corneum maturation and homeostasis remain unclear. Previous ex vivo studies have suggested a neutral-to-acidic pH gradient in the stratum corneum.

Comparison of Hospital Mortality and Readmission Rates by Physician and Patient Sex.

Background: Little is known as to whether the effects of physician sex on patients' clinical outcomes vary by patient sex.

Objective: To examine whether the association between physician sex and hospital outcomes varied between female and male patients hospitalized with medical conditions.

Design: Retrospective observational study.

Use of Japanese Herbal Kampo Medicine in Patients With Acute Cardiovascular Disease - A 12-Year Nationwide Cohort Analysis.

Background: Kampo, a Japanese herbal medicine, is approved for the treatment of various symptoms/conditions under national medical insurance coverage in Japan. However, the contemporary nationwide status of Kampo use among patients with acute cardiovascular diseases remains unknown.

Methods and results: Using the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database, we retrospectively identified 2,547,559 patients hospitalized for acute cardiovascular disease (acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, pulmonary embolism, or aortic dissection) at 1,798 hospitals during the fiscal years 2010-2021.

Physician characteristics associated with antiviral prescriptions for older adults with COVID-19 in Japan: an observational study.

Objectives: Although guidelines recommend antiviral therapy for outpatients with COVID-19 who are at high risk of progressing to severe conditions, such as older adults, many patients do not receive appropriate treatment. Little is known, however, about the physician factors associated with the prescription of guideline-recommended antiviral therapy for patients with COVID-19.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

StayGold photostability under different illumination modes.

StayGold is a bright fluorescent protein (FP) that is over one order of magnitude more photostable than any of the currently available FPs across the full range of illumination intensities used in widefield microscopy and structured illumination microscopy, the latter of which is a widefield illumination-based technique. To compare the photostability of StayGold under other illumination modes with that of three other green-emitting FPs, namely EGFP, mClover3, and mNeonGreen, we expressed all four FPs as fusions to histone 2B in HeLa cells. Unlike the case of widefield microscopy, the photobleaching behavior of these FPs in laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) is complicated.

Renal outcomes with sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors in Japanese people with grade 3 chronic kidney disease and type 2 diabetes: Analysis of medical administrative databases.

Aim: To evaluate whether sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) therapy is associated with a reduction of renal events compared with other glucose-lowering drugs (oGLDs) among Japanese people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and grade 3 (G3) chronic kidney disease (CKD) in a real-world clinical practice setting.

Materials And Methods: People with T2D who were newly prescribed an SGLT2i or an oGLD from April 2014 to November 2021 (without prior use of index drugs for ≥ 1 year prior to index date) and G3 CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] ≥ 30 to < 60 mL/min/1.73 m) were selected from the Medical Data Vision database (MDV-DB) and the Real-World Data database (RWD-DB).

Association Between Vonoprazan and the Risk of Gastric Cancer After Helicobacter pylori Eradication.

Background & Aims: Potassium-competitive acid blockers (PCABs) have been increasingly used to treat upper gastrointestinal disorders, replacing proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Whereas PPIs are associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer (GC) after Helicobacter pylori (Hp) eradication, it is uncertain whether PCABs carry the same risk.

Methods: Using a population-based claims database in Japan, we identified patients who were prescribed a clarithromycin-based first regimen of Hp eradication between 2015 and 2018.

Secretory GFP reconstitution labeling of neighboring cells interrogates cell-cell interactions in metastatic niches.

Cancer cells inevitably interact with neighboring host tissue-resident cells during the process of metastatic colonization, establishing a metastatic niche to fuel their survival, growth, and invasion. However, the underlying mechanisms in the metastatic niche are yet to be fully elucidated owing to the lack of methodologies for comprehensively studying the mechanisms of cell-cell interactions in the niche. Here, we improve a split green fluorescent protein (GFP)-based genetically encoded system to develop secretory glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored reconstitution-activated proteins to highlight intercellular connections (sGRAPHIC) for efficient fluorescent labeling of tissue-resident cells that neighbor on and putatively interact with cancer cells in deep tissues.

StayGold variants for molecular fusion and membrane-targeting applications.

Although StayGold is a bright and highly photostable fluorescent protein, its propensity for obligate dimer formation may hinder applications in molecular fusion and membrane targeting. To attain monovalent as well as bright and photostable labeling, we engineered tandem dimers of StayGold to promote dispersibility. On the basis of the crystal structure of this fluorescent protein, we disrupted the dimerization to generate a monomeric variant that offers improved photostability and brightness compared to StayGold.

Urinary lumirubin excretion in jaundiced preterm neonates during phototherapy with blue light-emitting diode vs. green fluorescent lamp.

Phototherapy converts lipophilic unconjugated bilirubin to hydrophilic bilirubin photoisomers, such as lumirubin. We comparatively used a blue light-emitting diode (LED) and a green fluorescent lamp (FL) as light sources for phototherapy of hyperbilirubinemic preterm neonates with the aim of examining potential differences in urinary lumirubin excretion between these two wavelengths. Urinary lumirubin levels were measured using a fluorescence assay with blue light exposure in the presence of the unconjugated bilirubin-inducible fluorescent protein UnaG, and denoted as urinary UnaG-bound bilirubin (UUB)/creatinine (Cr) (μg/mg Cr).

Artificial intelligence for telemedicine diabetic retinopathy screening: a review.

Purpose: This study aims to compare artificial intelligence (AI) systems applied in diabetic retinopathy (DR) teleophthalmology screening, currently deployed systems, fairness initiatives and the challenges for implementation.

Methods: The review included articles retrieved from PubMed/Medline/EMBASE literature search strategy regarding telemedicine, DR and AI. The screening criteria included human articles in English, Portuguese or Spanish and related to telemedicine and AI for DR screening.

Gene therapy using genome-edited iPS cells for targeting malignant glioma.

Glioblastoma is characterized by diffuse infiltration into the normal brain. Invasive glioma stem cells (GSCs) are an underlying cause of treatment failure. Despite the use of multimodal therapies, the prognosis remains dismal.