Mice carrying the full-length human immunoglobulin loci produce antigen-specific human antibodies with the lambda light chain.

The development of antibody drugs through animal immunization typically requires the humanization of host antibodies to address concerns about immunogenicity in humans. However, employing an animal model capable of producing human antibodies presents the opportunity to develop antibody drugs without the need for humanization. Despite the ratio of human immunoglobulin (Ig) κ to Igλ usage being approximately 60%:40%, the majority of approved antibody therapeutics are kappa antibodies, and the development of lambda antibodies as therapeutic agents has lagged behind.

Safe Navigation of Guiding Catheters during Stenting for Common Carotid Artery Lesions: The "No-touch" Technique.

Introduction During carotid artery stenting (CAS), safe navigation of the guiding catheter (GC) is essential for the success of procedures. However, in cases where stenosis or floating thrombi are located in the common carotid artery (CCA), especially for proximal lesions, advancing the GC without touching the lesions is often difficult. We describe a preliminary experience of the "no-touch" technique for navigating the GC to the CCA using an inner catheter with a specifically designed shape and stiffness optimized to overcome tortuous anatomy.

Putting performance bias to the front-lower side of the hole on steep slopes: Differences in strategies and movements between professional and amateur golfers.

When playing on an sloped golf course, the ball often misses the hole to the front-lower side, which is also referred to as the "amateur side." This can be attributed to the difficulty in perceiving the green slope and choosing the appropriate launch direction and ball speed, especially for amateurs. The study had three main objectives.

Prolyl hydroxylase domain inhibitors prevent kidney crystal formation by suppressing inflammation.

The early stages of kidney crystal formation involve inflammation and hypoxia-induced cell injury; however, the role of the hypoxic response in kidney crystal formation remains unclear. This study investigated the effects of a prolyl hydroxylase domain inhibitor (roxadustat) on renal calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystal formation through in vitro and in vivo approaches. In the in vitro experiment, murine renal tubular cells (RTCs) were exposed to varying roxadustat concentrations and CaOx crystals.

The role of lymphatic system transfer (LYST) for treatment of lymphedema: A long-term outcome study of SCIP flap incorporating the lymph nodes and the afferent lymphatic vessels.

Background: Vascularized lymph node transfer (VLNT) is traditionally performed in patients with advanced-stage lymphedema. To enhance and promote the physiological effects of VLNT, lymphatic system transfer (LYST) was developed. In this technique, lymph nodes and a portion of their corresponding afferent lymphatic vessels are transferred to stimulate lymphangiogenesis.

Association of Estimated Glomerular Filtration Ratio with the Incidence of Sleep Apnea Syndrome.

Study Objectives: Sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) is potentially linked to life-threatening conditions. Decline in kidney function is involved in the development of various diseases; however, it remains unclear whether it is implicated in the onset of SAS. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between kidney function and the incidence of SAS.

Psychogenic fever and neurodevelopmental disorders among Japanese children.

Background: Psychosocial stress can induce various physical symptoms, including fever, which is a commonly seen symptom in pediatric practice. In cases of unexplained fever, psychogenic fever should be considered as a potential cause. Children with neurodevelopmental disorders may be more vulnerable to stress and therefore more prone to developing somatic symptoms than their peers.

Clinical impact of cancer cachexia on the outcome of patients with non-small cell lung cancer with PD-L1 tumor proportion scores of ≥50% receiving pembrolizumab monotherapy versus immune checkpoint inhibitor with chemotherapy.

This retrospective, multicenter cohort study aimed to determine whether cancer cachexia serves as a biomarker for determining the most effective treatment for patients having non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with high programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) alone or combined with chemotherapy (ICI/chemotherapy). We included 411 patients with advanced NSCLC with a PD-L1 tumor proportion score of ≥50%. The patients were treated with pembrolizumab monotherapy or ICI/chemotherapy.

Diagnostic validity and solute-corrected prevalence for hyponatremia and hypernatremia among 1 813 356 admissions.

Background And Hypothesis: We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic validity of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes for hyponatremia and hypernatremia, using a database containing laboratory data. We also aimed to clarify whether corrections for blood glucose, triglyceride, and total protein may affect the prevalence and the diagnostic validity.

Methods: We retrospectively identified admissions with laboratory values using a Japanese hospital-based database.

Splicing junction-based classifier for the detection of abnormal constitutive activation of the KEAP1-NRF2 system.

The KEAP1-NRF2 system plays a crucial role in responding to oxidative and electrophilic stress. Its dysregulation can cause the overexpression of downstream genes, a known cancer hallmark. Understanding and detecting abnormal KEAP1-NRF2 activity is essential for understanding disease mechanisms and identifying therapeutic targets.

Factors Predictive of Persistent Subretinal Fluid in Acute Central Serous Chorioretinopathy.

Purpose: To identify the clinical parameters predictive of persistent subretinal fluid in acute central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC).

Methods: Clinical data of consecutive eyes diagnosed with first-time, acute, treatment-naïve CSC followed up for at least 6 months from symptom onset were evaluated retrospectively. Acute CSC was defined as CSC in which symptoms were noticed within 3 months of presentation.

Peri-procedural outcome according to VARC-3 criteria and hemodynamic mid-term follow-up after Valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement for failed aortic bioprosthesis.

Despite the widespread adoption of valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement (VIV-TAVR) for patients with failed aortic bioprosthesis, the effectiveness of this treatment for Japanese patients frequently associated with small aortic annuli remains unclear. From December-2011 to October-2022, 41 consecutive patients undergoing VIV-TAVR were enrolled in this study. The endpoints were technical success, device success, early safety, and two-year mortality according to implanted surgical valve size (small valves: 19-mm and 21-mm, n = 23; large valves: 23-mm and 25-mm, n = 18).

Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid is superior to blow samples for the identification of fungi in the lower respiratory tract of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas).

Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) can be used to identify pathogens in the lower respiratory tract. To assess the utility of cetacean BALF in pathogen identification, we obtained 36 sets of fungal isolates from paired BALF and blow samples collected from six managed beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas). In 13 sets, Candida tropicalis was isolated from BALF, whereas Candida spp.

Adding biomarker change information to the kidney failure risk equation improves predictive ability for dialysis dependency in eGFR <30 ml/min/1.73 m.

Background: Although the kidney failure risk equation (KFRE), a well-known predictive model for predicting dialysis dependency, is useful, it remains unclear whether the addition of biomarker changes to the KFRE model in patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <30 ml/min/1.73 m will improve its predictive value.

Methods: We retrospectively identified adults with eGFR <30 ml/min/1.

Pharmacological inhibition of P2RX4 receptor as a potential therapeutic strategy to prevent intracranial aneurysm formation.

Intracranial aneurysms (IA) affect 1-5 % of the population and are a major cause of subarachnoid hemorrhage. Thus, preventing IA development and progression is crucial for public health. IA has been considered a non-physiological, high shear stress-induced chronic inflammatory disease affecting the bifurcation site of the intracranial arteries.

Preferable effect of CTLA4-Ig on both bone erosion and bone microarchitecture in rheumatoid arthritis revealed by HR-pQCT.

This exploratory study aimed to examine the impact of abatacept treatment on bone structure in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT). RA patients initiating either abatacept or newly introduced csDMARDs were enrolled in this prospective, non-randomized, two-group study. Bone structure in the 2nd and 3rd metacarpal heads was assessed using HR-pQCT at 0, 6, and 12 months after enrollment.

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.

Evaluation of thermal effects of surgical energy devices: ex vivo study.

This study evaluated the direct and indirect thermal effects of various surgical energy devices using an ex-vivo model. Two types of three devices were evaluated: ENSEAL™ X1 Curved Jaw Tissue Sealer (X1) and ENSEAL™ G2 Curved Tissue Sealer (G2) as vessel sealing systems (VSSs), and HARMONIC HD1000i Shears (HA) as an ultrasonic activating device (USAD). Each device was activated once under DRY or WET conditions.

Learning curve of multiple surgeons for robot-assisted radical prostatectomy using the cumulative sum method: a retrospective single-institution study.

Prostate cancer (PC) is common among men and has become a significant societal issue. Localized PC has a good prognosis with appropriate treatment. Prostatectomy, particularly robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP), has become a common treatment since the da Vinci prostatectomy was approved by the FDA in 2001.

The Benefits of Early Rehabilitation for Patients With Acute Heart Failure Requiring IV Inotropic Drugs.

Objectives: The benefits of early rehabilitation for patients with acute heart failure (HF) requiring IV inotropic drugs have yet to be determined. We investigated the association between early rehabilitation and short-term clinical outcomes in patients with acute HF requiring IV inotropic drugs.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Use of blood meals from stable flies to evaluate the bovine leukemia virus infection status in cattle herds: a pilot study.

The incidence of enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL), a type of B-cell lymphoma, is increasing in Japan. EBL is caused by bovine leukemia virus (BLV; , ) infection and is diagnosed by detecting antibodies against BLV in milk and blood or BLV DNA in blood. We assessed the feasibility of using stable flies () as a sampling tool to assess BLV infection status in cattle herds.

Association of SGLT2 inhibitors with incident cancer.

Aim: It remains unknown whether sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) could be associated with incident cancer.

Methods: We analyzed individuals having diabetes and newly prescribed SGLT2i or dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP4i) in a large-scale epidemiological database. The primary outcome was the incidence of cancer.

Incidence, Predictors, and Outcomes of Unplanned Coronary Angiography After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

Background: Assessment of coronary artery disease (CAD) is critical in managing severe aortic stenosis. Unplanned coronary angiography after TAVR, with or without percutaneous coronary intervention, may present significant challenges.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence, predictors, and outcomes of unplanned coronary angiography after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).