Effect of everolimus administration on renal function in renal transplant recipients: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.

Everolimus (EVL) is an effective post-transplant immunosuppressant; however, its optimal trough concentration when switching from calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) remains unknown. The optimal dosing troughs for CNI-to-EVL switching in kidney transplant recipients were investigated. We searched multiple electronic databases (from inception to March 15, 2024) to identify double-blind or open-label randomized controlled trials evaluating groups (all ages, both sexes) that converted from CNIs to EVL and continued CNI treatment in kidney transplant recipients.

A phase 2 randomized, double-blind trial of ART-001, a selective PI3Kα inhibitor, for the treatment of slow-flow vascular malformations.

Background: In patients with slow-flow vascular malformations (SFVMs) including venous malformations (VM), lymphatic malformations (LM) or Klippel-Trenaunay Syndrome (KTS), somatic gain-of-function mutations in genes encoding phosphatidyl inositol 3-kinase alpha (PI3Kα, gene name PIK3CA) have been identified. A phase 2 study was conducted with the patients to assess the efficacy and safety of ART-001 (serabelisib), an orally available selective PI3Kα inhibitor.

Methods: This is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, proof-of-concept, phase 2 trial.

Elucidating the Role of Groove Hydration on Stability and Functions of Biased DNA Duplexes in Cell-Like Chemical Environments.

Hydration plays a key role in the structure-specific stabilization of biomolecules such as nucleic acids. The hydration patterns of biased DNA sequences in the genome, such as GC-repetitive and AT-repetitive regions, are unique to their duplex grooves. As these regions are crucial for maintaining genomic homeostasis and preventing diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative disorders, the effects of hydration on their stability and functions must be quantitatively analyzed in chemical environments that resemble intracellular conditions.

Feedback inhibition by a descending GABAergic neuron regulates timing of escape behavior in larvae.

Escape behaviors help animals avoid harm from predators and other threats in the environment. Successful escape relies on integrating information from multiple stimulus modalities (of external or internal origin) to compute trajectories toward safe locations, choose between actions that satisfy competing motivations, and execute other strategies that ensure survival. To this end, escape behaviors must be adaptive.

Records of the riverine discharge of I in riverbank sediment after the Fukushima accident.

Although I discharge from watersheds is fundamental for assessing long-term radiation effects on aquatic ecosystems, I originating from the Fukushima nuclear accident is yet be evaluated. This study investigated the transport behavior of I by riverbank surveys conducted from 2013 to 2015 in a watershed where the I/Cs activity ratio is low in the mountainous area and high in the plain as of 2011. Until 2015, the I/Cs activity ratio of the levee crown in the studied watershed was similar to that of the surrounding area in 2011.

NMR Studies of Genomic RNA in 3' Untranslated Region Unveil Pseudoknot Structure that Initiates Viral RNA Replication in SARS-CoV-2.

In the 3' untranslated region of the SARS-CoV-2 virus RNA genome, genomic RNA replication is initiated in the highly conserved region called 3'PK, containing three stem structures (P1pk, P2, and P5). According to one proposed mechanism, P1pk and distal P2 stems switch their structure to a pseudoknot through base-pairing, thereby initiating transcription by recruiting RNA-dependent RNA polymerase complexed with nonstructural proteins (nsp)7 and nsp8. However, experimental evidence of pseudoknot formation or structural switching is unavailable.

Early and late outcomes of congenital biliary dilatation in pediatric patients.

Background: This study aimed to reveal the early and late postoperative complications and outcomes after surgery for congenital biliary dilatation (CBD) by reviewing cases over the past 40 years.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 59 patients with CBD who underwent radical surgery for complications and outcomes, based on medical records. Early complications were defined as those requiring treatment within 5 years of the initial operation.

Altered Fhod3 expression involved in progressive high-frequency hearing loss via dysregulation of actin polymerization stoichiometry in the cuticular plate.

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is a common sensory impairment with complex underlying mechanisms. In our previous study, we performed a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in mice and identified a novel locus on chromosome 18 associated with ARHL specifically linked to a 32 kHz tone burst stimulus. Consequently, we investigated the role of Formin Homology 2 Domain Containing 3 (Fhod3), a newly discovered candidate gene for ARHL based on the GWAS results.

Comparison of mirabegron and vibegron for clinical efficacy and safety in female patients with overactive bladder: a multicenter prospective randomized crossover trial.

Purpose: To compare the efficacy and safety of mirabegron and vibegron in female OAB patients.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter, prospective, randomized crossover study of female patients with OAB. The patients were assigned to Group MV (mirabegron for 8 weeks, followed by vibegron for 8 weeks) or group VM (vibegron for 8 weeks, followed by mirabegron for 8 weeks).

Physical Peculiarity of Two Sites in Human Promoters: Universality and Diverse Usage in Gene Function.

Since the discovery of physical peculiarities around transcription start sites (TSSs) and a site corresponding to the TATA box, research has revealed only the average features of these sites. Unsettled enigmas include the individual genes with these features and whether they relate to gene function. Herein, using 10 physical properties of DNA, including duplex DNA free energy, base stacking energy, protein-induced deformability, and stabilizing energy of Z-DNA, we clarified for the first time that approximately 97% of the promoters of 21,056 human protein-coding genes have distinctive physical properties around the TSS and/or position -27; of these, nearly 65% exhibited such properties at both sites.

Time-study research on maxillofacial prosthetic treatment.

Unreasonable medical fees can cause problems such as increased medical costs, greater medical disparities, decreased medical standards, and physician shortages. To prevent such problems, it is important to set appropriate medical fees, ensure their proper use, and improve the efficiency of medical care. The treatment of patients with maxillofacial defects is generally more expensive compared with general prosthodontic treatment because it involves more materials and requires more frequently follow-ups for longer period.

Distinctive physical properties of DNA shared by RNA polymerase II gene promoters and 5'-flanking regions of tRNA genes.

Numerous noncoding (nc)RNAs have been identified. Similar to the transcription of protein-coding (mRNA) genes, long noncoding (lnc)RNA genes and most of micro (mi)RNA genes are transcribed by RNA polymerase II (Pol II). In the transcription of mRNA genes, core promoters play an indispensable role; they support the assembly of the preinitiation complex (PIC).

Computed Tomography Renal Volumetry Better Predicts Postoperative Donor Renal Function in Live Kidney Donor Transplantation than Renal Scintigraphy: A Comparative Study.

Introduction And Objectives: Both computed tomography (CT) and renal scintigraphy (RS) have been used to assess vascular anatomy, renal status, and split renal function (SRF). In this study, we used a recently developed software that facilitates renal volumetric evaluations to compare RS and automated CT volumetry for assessing residual renal function and, thus, estimating postoperative renal function after donor nephrectomy.

Methods: Fifty-one cases of donor nephrectomy were analyzed.

Orthotopic kidney transplantation from a living renal donor after interventional therapy for bilateral arteriosclerosis obliterans of the iliac arteries: A case report and literature review.

Introduction: Orthotopic kidney transplantation is an option when heterotopic kidney transplantation into the iliac fossa is inappropriate. We report a case of orthotopic kidney transplantation following stenting of both external iliac arteries to treat arteriosclerosis obliterans.

Case Presentation: A 56-year-old woman on hemodialysis for end-stage kidney disease underwent living-donor kidney transplantation.

In-Cell Stability Prediction of RNA/DNA Hybrid Duplexes for Designing Oligonucleotides Aimed at Therapeutics.

In cells, the formation of RNA/DNA hybrid duplexes regulates gene expression and modification. The environment inside cellular organelles is heterogeneously crowded with high concentrations of biomolecules that affect the structure and stability of RNA/DNA hybrid duplexes. However, the detailed environmental effects remain unclear.

Mechanical vibration patterns elicit behavioral transitions and habituation in crawling larvae.

How animals respond to repeatedly applied stimuli, and how animals respond to mechanical stimuli in particular, are important questions in behavioral neuroscience. We study adaptation to repeated mechanical agitation using the larva. Vertical vibration stimuli elicit a discrete set of responses in crawling larvae: continuation, pause, turn, and reversal.

Validation of a surgical difficulty grading system in laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis.

Background: The surgical difficulty of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) for acute cholecystitis varies from case to case, and appropriate intraoperative evaluation would help prevent bile duct injury (BDI).

Methods: We analyzed 178 patients who underwent LC for acute cholecystitis. Expert surgeons and trainees individually evaluated the surgical difficulty.

Plasma myoglobin indicates muscle damage associated with acceleration/deceleration during football.

Background: Monitoring muscle damage in athletes assists not only coaches to adjust the training workload but also medical staff to prevent injury. Measuring blood myoglobin concentration can help evaluate muscle damage. The novel portable device utilized in this study allows for easy on-site measurement of myoglobin, providing real-time data on the player's muscle damage.

Theranostic approach to specifically targeting the interloop region of BCL2 i-motif DNA by crystal violet.

Ligands that recognise specific i-motif DNAs are helpful in cancer diagnostics and therapeutics, as i-motif formation can cause cancer. Although the loop regions of i-motifs are promising targets for ligands, the interaction between a ligand and the loop regions based on sequence information remains unexplored. Herein, we investigated the loop regions of various i-motif DNAs to determine whether these regions specifically interact with fluorescent ligands.

Barley Cultivar Sarab 1 Has a Characteristic Region on the Thylakoid Membrane That Protects Photosystem I under Iron-Deficient Conditions.

The barley cultivar Sarab 1 (SRB1) can continue photosynthesis despite its low Fe acquisition potential via roots and dramatically reduced amounts of photosystem I (PSI) reaction-center proteins under Fe-deficient conditions. We compared the characteristics of photosynthetic electron transfer (ET), thylakoid ultrastructure, and Fe and protein distribution on thylakoid membranes among barley cultivars. The Fe-deficient SRB1 had a large proportion of functional PSI proteins by avoiding P700 over-reduction.