Real-World Long-Term Effectiveness of Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators in Elderly Patients.

Background: Because it is unclear whether implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are equally effective in patients of all ages, we investigated the association of age with long-term clinical outcomes of patients who underwent ICD implantation.

Methods And Results: A total of 416 consecutive patients (mean age: 69 years) from 4 tertiary hospitals who underwent ICD implantation or were upgraded from an existing permanent pacemaker between January 2011 and November 2022 were enrolled and divided into 3 groups based on age: <65 years (n=158), 65-74 years (n=138), and ≥75 years (n=120). We compared the incidence of all-cause death and adverse cardiovascular events, including cardiac death, appropriate ICD therapy, and heart failure hospitalization.

Surgical outcomes and learning curve of complex versus simple segmentectomy for uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery: an initial experience of 100 cases of a single experienced surgeon.

Background: Complex segmentectomy for uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) remains controversial due to procedural complexity and the risk of increased complications, unlike multiportal VATS. Demonstrating the perioperative results and proficiency of individual surgeon is believed to influence future dissemination for uniportal VATS. In this study, we aimed to compare the perioperative outcomes and learning curves of complex versus simple segmentectomy for uniportal VATS.

Dimensionally Extending from 1D MX-Chain to Ladder and Nanotube Systems: Structural and Electronic Properties.

Molecular one-dimensional (1D) electron systems have attracted much attention due to their unique electronic state, physical and chemical properties derived from high-aspect-ratio structures. Among 1D materials, mixed-valence halogen-bridged transition-metal chain complexes (MX-chains) based on coordination assemblies are currently of particular interest because their electronic properties, such as mixed-valence state and band gap, can be controlled by substituting components and varying configurations. In particular, chemistry has recently noted that dimensionally extending MX-chains through organic rung ligands can introduce and modulate electronic coupling of metal atoms between chains, i.

Role of desmoplakin in supporting neuronal activity, neurogenic processes, and emotional-related behaviors in the dentate gyrus.

Desmoplakin (Dsp) is a component of desmosomal cell-cell junctions that interacts with the cadherin complex and cytoskeletal intermediate filaments. In addition to its function as an adhesion component, Dsp is involved in various biological processes, such as gene expression, differentiation, and migration. Dsp is specifically expressed in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) in the central nervous system.

A highly sensitive reporter system to monitor endogenous YAP1/TAZ activity and its application in various human cells.

The activation of yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) and transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) has been implicated in both regeneration and tumorigenesis, thus representing a double-edged sword in tissue homeostasis. However, how the activity of YAP1/TAZ is regulated or what leads to its dysregulation in these processes remains unknown. To explore the upstream stimuli modulating the cellular activity of YAP1/TAZ, we developed a highly sensitive YAP1/TAZ/TEAD-responsive DNA element (YRE) and incorporated it into a lentivirus-based reporter cell system to allow for sensitive and specific monitoring of the endogenous activity of YAP1/TAZ in terms of luciferase activity in vitro and Venus fluorescence in vivo.

Zero-leak prediction during major lung resection aiming for minimal chest drainage duration: a retrospective analysis.

Background: Early chest tube removal should be considered to enhance recovery after surgery. The current study aimed to provide a predictive algorithm for air leak episodes (ALE) and to create a knowledge base for early chest tube removal.

Methods: This retrospective study enrolled patients who underwent thoracoscopic anatomical pulmonary resections in our unit.

A Three-Dimensionally Extended Metal-Organic Ladder Compound Exhibiting Proton Conduction.

Ladder systems situated in the dimensional crossover region have attracted much attention because their electronic states and physical properties depend strongly on the electronic correlations among the constituent legs. Generally, two-/three-legged transition metal-oxide ladder compounds are studied as representative ladder systems, but two-/three-dimensional (2D/3D) extensions based on such ladder systems with a few numbers of legs are difficult because of the extreme synthesis conditions. Here, for the first time, we report the successful creation of a 3D extended two-legged ladder compound, [Pt(en)(dpye)I](NO) ⋅ 2HO (en=ethylenediamine; dpye=1,2-Di(4-pyridyl)ethane), which is obtained by simple oxidative polymerization of a small Pt macrocyclic complex using elemental I.

Therapeutic strategies to target connective tissue growth factor in fibrotic lung diseases.

The treatment of interstitial lung diseases, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), remains challenging as current available antifibrotic agents are not effective in halting disease progression. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), also known as cellular communication factor 2 (CCN2), is a member of the CCN family of proteins that regulates cell signaling through cell surface receptors such as integrins, the activity of cytokines/growth factors, and the turnover of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. Accumulating evidence indicates that CTGF plays a crucial role in promoting lung fibrosis through multiple processes, including inducing transdifferentiation of fibroblasts to myofibroblasts, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and cooperating with other fibrotic mediators such as TGF-β.

Systematic-error suppression in low-coherence Brillouin optical correlation-domain reflectometry.

Brillouin optical correlation-domain analysis (BOCDA) utilizing low-coherence light sources offers high-resolution distributed strain and temperature sensing. However, conventional BOCDA requires dual-end injection of pump and probe light into the sensing fiber. To overcome this limitation, low-coherence Brillouin optical correlation-domain reflectometry (BOCDR) based on spontaneous Brillouin scattering has emerged, enabling single-end light injection.

Population Genetic Analysis of from Taro in Japan Using SSR Markers.

is an important pathogen that causes great economic losses in taro production in tropical and subtropical regions, especially in Japan. Understanding the genetic variations in populations and their transmission patterns in Japan is essential for effective disease control. Here, the genetic diversity of 358 isolates, including 348 from Japan, 7 from China, and 3 from Indonesia, was assessed using 11 simple sequence repeat (SSR) primer pairs with high polymorphism.

Self-Assembled Crystalline Bundles in Soluble Metal-Organic Nanotubes.

The use of nanotubes in the solution state is crucial not only for the exploration of physical and chemical behaviors at the molecular level but also for application such as thin-film fabrication. Surface modification is generally used to solubilize carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and various synthetic nanotubes; however, this method may affect the surface properties of the original nanotubes, and the detailed crystal structure obtained after modification is unclear. Here, we report the synthesis of a crystalline and soluble metal-organic nanotube consisting of a cationic tubular framework and an anion with a long alkyl chain.

Vascular-Parenchymal Cross-Talk Promotes Lung Fibrosis through BMPR2 Signaling.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal lung disease characterized by progressive lung scarring. IPF-related pulmonary vascular remodeling and pulmonary hypertension (PH) result in a particularly poor prognosis. To study the pathogenesis of vascular remodeling in fibrotic lungs and its contribution to progression of fibrosis.

[A Case of Laparoscopic Total Gastrectomy for Juvenile Polyposis of Stomach with Synchronous Multiple Intramucosal Carcinomas].

The patient was a 57-year-old woman. She was referred to our hospital because severe anemia. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed polyposis throughout the stomach and lobulated polyps in cardia, greater curve of middle body of the stomach, and angulus.

Observation of an Alternate Charge-Polarization State in a One-Dimensional Pt-Pt-I Chain Compound with a Bulky Pendant Ligand.

A one-dimensional (1D) halogen-bridged dinuclear-metal complex (MMX-chain) exhibits various electronic states based on a mixed-valence metal-dimer system. This report deals with the synthesis and physical properties of a new MMX-chain with a bulky pendant ligand, Pt (mcc-HexCS ) I (mcc-HexCS =trans-4-(methoxycarbonyl)cyclohexanedithiocarboxylate). The steric hindrance caused by the bulky substituent induces a strain in its 1D chain, achieving at ambient condition the first pure alternate charge-polarization (ACP) state (-Pt -Pt -I -Pt -Pt -I -), a kind of spin-Peierls state, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction and its conducting and magnetic properties.

Zranb1-mutant mice display abnormal colonic mucus production and exacerbation of DSS-induced colitis.

Expression of mucin MUC2, a component of the colonic mucus layer, plays a crucial role in intestinal homeostasis. Here, we describe a new regulator of MUC2 expression, the deubiquitinase ZRANB1 (Trabid). A ZRANB1 mutation changing cysteine to serine in amino acid position 443, affects ubiquitination.

Antibiotic-dependent effect of probiotics in patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated with PD-1 checkpoint blockade.

Background: We previously validated in European patients with NSCLC treated with programmed death-1 (PD-1) checkpoint inhibitors the cumulative detrimental effect of concomitant medications.

Materials And Methods: We evaluated the prognostic ability of a "drug score" computed on the basis of baseline corticosteroids, proton pump inhibitors, and antibiotics, in an independent cohort of Japanese patients with advanced NSCLC treated with PD-1 monotherapy. Subsequently, we assessed the impact of baseline probiotics on the score's diagnostic ability and their interaction with antibiotics in influencing survival.

Fish Bone Descending in the Mediastinum.

Ingested sharp foreign bodies rarely migrate extraluminally into adjacent organs such as the pharynx, lungs, and liver. Herein, we report a case of fish bone ingestion where the foreign body followed a unique migration trajectory. Computed tomography revealed a fish bone extraluminally located in the aortopulmonary space in the left mediastinum and peri-esophageal pneumomediastinum.

Nintedanib plus chemotherapy for nonsmall cell lung cancer with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a randomised phase 3 trial.

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal lung disease implicated as an independent risk factor for lung cancer. However, optimal treatment for advanced lung cancer with IPF remains to be established. We performed a randomised phase 3 trial (J-SONIC) to assess the efficacy and safety of nintedanib plus chemotherapy (experimental arm) compared with chemotherapy alone (standard-of-care arm) for advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with IPF.