Altered trial-to-trial responses to reward outcomes in KCNMA1 knockout mice during probabilistic learning tasks.

The large-conductance calcium- and voltage-activated potassium (BK) channels, encoded by the KCNMA1 gene, play important roles in neuronal function. Mutations in KCNMA1 have been found in patients with various neurodevelopmental features, including intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Previous studies of KCNMA1 knockout mice have suggested altered activity patterns and behavioral flexibility, but it remained unclear whether these changes primarily affect immediate behavioral adaptation or longer-term learning processes.

Cooperativeness as a Personality Trait and Its Impact on Cooperative Behavior in Young East Asian Adults Who Synchronized in Casual Conversations.

Cooperation is essential in social life, involving collaborative efforts for mutual benefits. Individual differences in the cooperativeness trait are pivotal in these interactions. A single-group pretest-posttest design was used in this study to determine if Duchenne smiling with gaze and inter-brain synchrony (IBS) during conversation mediates the relationship between cooperativeness and cooperative behavior.

Effect of time delay on performance and timing control in dyadic rhythm coordination using finger tapping.

In musical ensembles, people synchronise with each other despite the presence of time delays such as those related to sound transmission. However, the ways in which time delays in synchronisation are overcome remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the basic characteristics and mechanism of synchronisation with time delays using a dyadic synchronisation-continuation finger-tapping task with time delays ranging from 0 to 240 ms.

Nonlinear age-related differences in probabilistic learning in mice: A 5-armed bandit task study.

This study explores the impact of aging on reinforcement learning in mice, focusing on changes in learning rates and behavioral strategies. A 5-armed bandit task (5-ABT) and a computational Q-learning model were used to evaluate the positive and negative learning rates and the inverse temperature across three age groups (3, 12, and 18 months). Results showed a significant decline in the negative learning rate of 18-month-old mice, which was not observed for the positive learning rate.

Complete genome sequence of three strains isolated from patients with skin diseases in Japan.

is a member of the human skin microbiota as a commensal organism but could be an important opportunistic pathogen for immunocompromised individuals. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of three . strains isolated from patients with skin diseases.

ATG9B regulates bacterial internalization via actin rearrangement.

Invasive bacterial pathogens are internalized by host cells through endocytosis, which is regulated by a cascade of actin rearrangement signals triggered by host cell receptors or bacterial proteins delivered into host cells. However, the molecular mechanisms that mediate actin rearrangement to promote bacterial invasion are not fully understood. Here, we show that the autophagy-related (ATG) protein ATG9B regulates the internalization of various bacteria by controlling actin rearrangement.

BK channel dysfunction disrupts attention-controlled behaviors and altered perseverative responses in murine instrumental learning.

This study examined the effect of knockout of KCNMA1 gene, coding for the BK channel, on cognitive and attentional functions in mice, with an aim to better understand its implications for human neurodevelopmental disorders. The study used the 3-choice serial reaction time task (3-CSRTT) to assess the learning performance, attentional abilities, and repetitive behaviors in mice lacking the KCNMA1 gene (KCNMA1) compared to wild-type (WT) controls. Results showed no significant differences in learning accuracy between the two groups.

Evaluation of medication withdrawal in patients with non-systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis in Japan using a web-based survey.

Objectives: Although treatments for juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) have seen considerable advancements, there remains a lack of clear guidelines on withdrawing medications. This study aimed to investigate the current strategies for discontinuing non-systemic JIA treatment.

Methods: A web-based questionnaire was distributed to members of the Pediatric Rheumatology Association of Japan.

Machine learning analysis of pathological images to predict 1-year progression-free survival of immunotherapy in patients with small-cell lung cancer.

Background: In small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) could be a promising biomarker for immunotherapy, but objectively evaluating TIME remains challenging. Hence, we aimed to develop a predictive biomarker of immunotherapy efficacy through a machine learning analysis of the TIME.

Methods: We conducted a biomarker analysis in a prospective study of patients with extensive-stage SCLC who received chemoimmunotherapy as the first-line treatment.

Disease activity trajectories in juvenile dermatomyositis from childhood to adulthood.

Objectives: To assess whether there are identifiable subgroups of disease activity trajectory in a population of JDM patients-followed throughout childhood and into adulthood-and determine factors that predict those trajectory groupings.

Methods: This is a retrospective, longitudinal inception cohort of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, largely JDM. We sought to identify baseline factors that predict membership into different groups (latent classes) of disease activity trajectory.

Rab41-mediated ESCRT machinery repairs membrane rupture by a bacterial toxin in xenophagy.

Xenophagy, a type of selective autophagy, is a bactericidal membrane trafficking that targets cytosolic bacterial pathogens, but the membrane homeostatic system to cope with bacterial infection in xenophagy is not known. Here, we show that the endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT) machinery is needed to maintain homeostasis of xenophagolysosomes damaged by a bacterial toxin, which is regulated through the TOM1L2-Rab41 pathway that recruits AAA-ATPase VPS4. We screened Rab GTPases and identified Rab41 as critical for maintaining the acidification of xenophagolysosomes.

Anti-InlA single-domain antibodies that inhibit the cell invasion of Listeria monocytogenes.

Listeriosis, caused by infection with Listeria monocytogenes, is a severe disease with a high mortality rate. The L. monocytogenes virulence factor, internalin family protein InlA, which binds to the host receptor E-cadherin, is necessary to invade host cells.

Unravelling the relation between altruistic cooperativeness trait, smiles, and cooperation: a mediation analysis.

Introduction: Human cooperativeness is an important personality trait. However, the mechanism through which people cooperate remains unclear. Previous research suggests that one of the proposed functions of smiling is to advertise altruistic dispositions, leading to successful cooperation.

Pre-Smectic Ordering and the Unwinding Helix in Monte Carlo Simulations of Cholesteric Liquid-Crystals.

In this paper, molecular chirality is studied for liquid-crystal fluids represented by hard rods with the addition of an attractive chiral dispersion term. Chiral forces between molecular pairs are assumed to be long-ranged and are described in terms of the pseudotensor of Goossens [W. J.

Group A Streptococcus cation diffusion facilitator proteins contribute to immune evasion by regulating intracellular metal concentrations.

Cation diffusion facilitators (CDFs) are a large family of divalent metal transporters with broad specificities that contribute to intracellular metal homeostasis and toxicity in bacterial pathogens. Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A Streptococcus [GAS]) expresses two homologous CDF efflux transporters, MntE and CzcD, which selectively transport Mn and Zn, respectively. We discovered that the MntE- and CzcD-deficient strains exhibited a marked decrease in the viability of macrophage-differentiated THP-1 cells and neutrophils.

Characteristics of persistent arthritis with refractory Kawasaki disease: a single-center retrospective study.

Arthritis is one complication of Kawasaki disease (KD); however, the clinical features of arthritis in KD have not been well clarified. We retrospectively investigated the characteristics of persistent arthritis beyond the subacute phase of KD. In this cohort, 49 of 243 patients (20%) developed arthritis, with 33 patients (14%) experiencing persistent arthritis.

In vivo tracking of plasmid DNA/mRNA: A novel labelling precursor for Zr positron emission tomography.

Herein, we developed a novel labelling precursor Fe-DFO-5 for plasmid DNA (pDNA) utilizing Zr as a radioisotope for PET imaging. Zr-labelled pDNA showed comparable gene expression to non-labelled pDNA. The biodistribution of Zr-labelled pDNA after local or systemic administration in mice was evaluated.

Considering agitation in ultrasonic electroplating through observation of cavitation.

Ultrasonic electroplating produces various effects, including refinement of the plating film structure, by generating localized agitation through cavitation bubbles. However, details of the agitation mechanism have not been clarified because ultrasonic cavitation is very small in scale and occurs rapidly, and its reproducibility is low. Therefore, using laser-induced cavitation, which can generate cavitation similar to ultrasonic waves with high reproducibility, the author attempted to elucidate the conditions and frequency of cavitation generation that affect the agitation phenomenon in ultrasonic electroplating.

The clinical features of juvenile dermatomyositis: A single-centre inception cohort.

Introduction: Juvenile Dermatomyositis (JDM), a severe and rare autoimmune disease, is the most common idiopathic inflammatory myopathy in children. We describe the clinical features of a large single-centre cohort.

Methods: We studied an inception cohort (0-18 years old) referred for diagnosis to the JDM clinic at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), between January 1989 and September 2017.

Early Abnormal Nailfold Capillary Changes Are Predictive of Calcinosis Development in Juvenile Dermatomyositis.

Objective: The long-term outcomes of juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) are more favorable in recent years. However, calcinosis is still among the complications that can cause serious functional impairment. Little is known about the pathogenesis and risk factors of calcinosis.