Complete genome sequence of sp. che218, an endophyte isolated from cv. Chardonnay shoot xylem.

species are bacterial endophytes that live inside plants. We report the complete genome sequence of sp. che218, an endophyte isolated from the shoot xylem of the wine grape cv.

Anthocyanin Accumulation in Grape Berry Skin Promoted by Endophytic sp. che218 Isolated from Wine Grape Shoot Xylem.

Grape berry skin coloration is a key determinant of the commercial value of red wines. Global warming caused by climate change has inhibited anthocyanin biosynthesis in berry skins, leading to poor coloration. Through two-year field experiments, the endophyte che218 isolated from grape shoot xylem promoted anthocyanin accumulation in berry skins.

Symptoms, Course, and Factors Related to Long-Term Morbidity, Including Differences between Infection Strains, in Patients with Long COVID in a Primary Care Clinic in Japan: An Observational Study.

The objectives were to investigate the clinical characteristics and course of long COVID, defined as the persistence of symptoms at least one month after the onset of COVID-19, in outpatients and to clarify differences in symptoms between SARS CoV-2 mutant strains. Our observational study in a primary care institution in Japan included 1053 patients with long COVID who visited our outpatient clinic between April 2021 and March 2023. Symptom distribution, performance status, and patient background at the time of the first outpatient visit were compared between infectious strains (Delta and before group and Omicron group).

Implementation of optically simulated luminescent dosimeter for quality control of gamma ray dose of an accelerator-based neutron source.

Background: Neutron beams utilized for performing BNCT are composed of a mixture of neutrons and gamma rays. Although much of the dose delivered to the cancer cells comes from the high LET particles produced by the boron neutron capture reaction, the dose delivered to the healthy tissues from unwanted gamma rays cannot be ignored. With the increase in the number of accelerators for BNCT, a detector system that is capable of measuring gamma ray dose in a mixed neutron/gamma irradiation field is crucial.

Investigation of the Efficacy of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR)-Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor in Patients With EGFR Exon 21 L858R Point Mutation-Positive Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: Treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) has a higher response rate than with conventional chemotherapy in patients positive for EGFR mutations. However, the efficacy of EGFR-TKI therapy may be reduced in patients positive for the EGFR exon 21 L858R point mutation.

Objective: To determine the clinical characteristics of patients with EGFR exon 21 L858R point mutation-positive NSCLC who are non-responders to EGFR-TKI therapy and the factors that predict response to EGFR-TKI therapy.

Disease control in patients with non-small cell lung cancer using pemetrexed: Investigating the best treatment strategy.

Background: Pemetrexed (PEM) is the primary chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), showing potential for long-term disease stability in certain cases. However, studies examining disease control with PEM therapy are lacking. This study aimed to pinpoint clinical traits in patients with NSCLC responding well to PEM therapy, predict factors influencing disease control, and suggest optimal treatment approaches.

[A Case of Synchronous Bilateral Breast Cancer with Apocrine Feature].

The patient, a 79-year-old woman, noticed a lump in her left breast, prompting her visit to our hospital. A mass approximately 20 mm in size was palpated in the left A region. Mammography showed a spiculated mass in the left MIO region, while breast ultrasonography revealed an irregularly shaped hypoechoic mass in the left A region, as well as a hypoechoic area in the right C region.

Neutron flux evaluation algorithm with a combination of Monte Carlo and removal-diffusion calculation methods for boron neutron capture therapy.

Background: In Japan, the clinical treatment of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) has been applied to unresectable, locally advanced, and recurrent head and neck carcinomas using an accelerator-based neutron source since June of 2020. Considering the increase in the number of patients receiving BNCT, efficiency of the treatment planning procedure is becoming increasingly important. Therefore, novel and rapid dose calculation algorithms must be developed.

Prognostic value of the serum creatinine/cystatin C ratio in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Sarcopenia, characterized by skeletal muscle atrophy and physical inactivity, is a manifestation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and is associated with a poor prognosis. The serum creatinine (Cr)/cystatin C (CysC) ratio has been proposed as a marker of sarcopenia, given its correlation with total skeletal muscle mass, and as a prognostic indicator in COPD. This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of the serum Cr/CysC ratio as a prognostic determinant in these patients.

Multicenter, Retrospective Study to Evaluate Necitumumab Plus Cisplatin and Gemcitabine After Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Advanced Squamous Cell Lung Cancer in Japan: The NINJA Study.

Introduction: Necitumumab plus gemcitabine and cisplatin (GCN) is a standard therapy for patients with advanced lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSqCC). However, the efficacy and tolerability of GCN in second-line or later treatment for patients previously treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) remain unknown.

Methods: This multicenter, retrospective, cohort study assessed the efficacy and tolerability of GCN initiated between November 1, 2019 and March 31, 2022 as second-line to fourth-line treatment in patients with advanced LSqCC who had been pretreated with ICIs.

Investigation of response factors for monotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer patients with PD-L1 expression <50.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) monotherapy is currently approved for the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression ≥50%. However, the efficacy of ICI monotherapy in patients with PD-L1 expression <50% has not yet been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to identify the clinical characteristics of NSCLC patients with PD-L1 expression <50% who respond to single-agent ICIs and factors that predict response.

Development and evaluation of dose calculation algorithm with a combination of Monte Carlo and point-kernel methods for boron neutron capture therapy.

We developed a 'hybrid algorithm' that combines the Monte Carlo (MC) and point-kernel methods for fast dose calculation in boron neutron capture therapy. The objectives of this study were to experimentally verify the hybrid algorithm and to verify the calculation accuracy and time of a 'complementary approach' adopting both the hybrid algorithm and the full-energy MC method. In the latter verification, the results were compared with those obtained using the full-energy MC method alone.

Influencing factors of efficacy and long-term use of amrubicin in patients with small cell lung cancer.

Background: Amrubicin (AMR) has become the standard of care for post-relapse small cell lung cancer (SCLC). It has also been reported to achieve long-term disease control in patients with good treatment response. However, the optimal patient population for whom AMR is effective and the factors associated with long-term disease control are yet to be identified.

Diketopiperazine cyclo(-l-Leu-l-Phe) with plant elicitation activity and anti-oomycete activity against Plasmopara viticola.

The aim of this study was to contribute to the reduction of synthetic chemical fungicide application in viticulture by using cyclo(-l-Leu-l-Phe) (cLF) produced by Bacillus subtilis KS1, a candidate for biological control agent. cLF is a diketopiperazine and belongs to the family of 2,5-diketopiperazines. KS1 secreted micromolar levels of cLF into culture medium.

Asymmetric dimethylarginine accumulation under hyperglycemia facilitates β-cell apoptosis via inhibiting nitric oxide production.

Low concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) produced by constitutive NO synthase (cNOS) has been shown to suppress apoptosis in pancreatic β-cells. In the present study, the influence of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), the major endogenous inhibitor of NOS, on the apoptosis-suppressive effect of NO was investigated. The expression of dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 2 (DDAH2), an ADMA-metabolizing enzyme, in INS-1 β-cells and in mouse pancreatic islets was drastically reduced by in vitro exposure to high-concentration glucose (20 mM) and by in vivo treatment of mice with the insulin receptor blocker S661, which resulted in hyperglycemia, respectively.

Differential response in patients with large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the lung to initial therapy: A case series.

Background: Large cell neuroendocrine tumors of the lung (LCNEC) are rare. Chemotherapy with the small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) regimen is the most appropriate treatment for LCNEC. However, there is evidence that the non-small cell lung cancer regimen is also effective in some reported cases.

Conventional and Kampo Medicine Treatment for Mild-to-moderate COVID-19: A Multicenter, Retrospective, Observational Study by the Integrative Management in Japan for Epidemic Disease (IMJEDI Study-observation).

Objective Patients in whom coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was suspected or confirmed between January 1, 2020, and October 31, 2021, were enrolled from Japanese hospitals in this multicenter, retrospective, observational study. Methods Data on the treatment administered (including conventional and Kampo medicine) and changes in common cold-like symptoms (such as fever, cough, sputum, dyspnea, fatigue, and diarrhea) were collected from their medical records. The primary outcome was the number of days without a fever (with a body temperature <37°C).

Integrated process development for grass biomass utilization through enzymatic saccharification and upgrading hydroxycinnamic acids via microbial funneling.

In grass biomass, hydroxycinnamic acids (HCAs) play crucial roles in the crosslinking of lignin and polysaccharides and can be easily extracted by mild alkaline pretreatment, albeit heterogeneously. Here, HCAs were extracted from bamboo and rice straw as model grass biomass with different HCAs composition, and microbial funneling was then conducted to produce 2-pyrone-4,6-dicarboxylic acid (PDC) and (4S)-3-carboxymuconolactone (4S-3CML), promising building blocks for bio-based polymers, respectively. Pseudomonas putida PpY1100 engineered for efficient microbial funneling completely converted HCAs to PDC and 4S-3CML with high titers of 3.

Serum Derivatives of Reactive Oxygen Metabolites are Associated with Severity of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Affected by a p53 Gene Polymorphism.

Purpose: Oxidative stress is known to activate tumor suppressor p53, which inhibits cell cycle progression and induces apoptosis. Levels of p53 in lung tissues from patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are increased compared with levels in nonsmokers or smokers without emphysema. A polymorphism in p53 codon 72 (rs1042522) is associated with emphysematous changes in patients with COPD.

Laryngeal papilloma-induced chronic airway obstruction: A case report.

Laryngeal papilloma is a benign tumor characterized by minimal symptoms; however, in rare cases, it can cause airway obstruction and should be treated with caution. A 65-year-old woman presented to the clinic with a history of dyspnea for the past 20 years. Chest computed tomography revealed the presence of a tracheal diverticulum with an internal septum on the right side of the trachea at the apex of the lung.

Acquired pulmonary arteriovenous malformation associated with bronchiectasis: a case report.

Background: Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations are mostly caused by congenitally abnormal shunts between pulmonary arteries and pulmonary veins.

Case Presentation: A 74-year-old Japanese woman with a history of bronchiectasis was admitted to our hospital because of dyspnea on exertion. Pulmonary angiography and reconstructed three-dimensional contrast-enhanced computed tomography images showed shunts between pulmonary arteries and pulmonary veins, indicating a diagnosis of pulmonary arteriovenous malformations.

Serum Creatinine/Cystatin C Ratio Associated with Cross-Sectional Area of Erector Spinae Muscles and Pulmonary Function in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Purpose: Muscle atrophy is a major clinical feature of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and is considered a predictor of mortality in COPD patients. Recently, the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the erector spinae muscles measured by chest computed tomography (CT) scans (ESM) has been reported as a clinical parameter reflecting disease severity and future prognosis in patients with COPD. In addition, the serum creatinine (Cr)/cystatin C (CysC) ratio has been considered a quantitative marker of residual muscle mass, because serum Cr levels are affected by muscle mass, and correction by CysC counteracts the effect of renal function on serum Cr levels.