Epicardial connection between superior vena cava and right atrium contributes to subsequent atrial fibrillation: a case report.

Background: The superior vena cava (SVC) acts as a non-pulmonary vein (PV) trigger for atrial fibrillation (AF) in 2%-6% of patients and harbours 25%-40% of non-PV foci. Approximately 10% of patients with AF have epicardial connections (ECs) between the atrium and PV inside the PV isolation lines, which are associated with AF recurrence. However, the contribution of EC(s) between the SVC and right atrium (RA) to subsequent AF remains unknown.

Characteristics of Intracranial Kinetic Loads When Sports-Related Concussion Occurs in Men's Rhythmic Gymnastics.

This study aimed to clarify the differences between the previously reported mechanisms of sports-related concussion (SRC) injuries without a loss of consciousness in contact and collision sports and the mechanisms of SRC injuries in our cases. Based on two videos of SRC injuries occurring during a men's rhythmic gymnastics competition (three people were injured), the risk of SRC occurrence was estimated from various parameters using a multibody analysis and eight brain injury evaluation criteria. In the present study, the three SRC impacts that occurred in men's rhythmic gymnastics showed significant characteristics in duration compared to previously reported cases in the contact sports.

Epidemiology of Sports-Related Concussion in Japanese University Soccer Players.

In recent years, sports-related concussion (SRC) in soccer has been extensively researched worldwide. However, there have been no reports of large-scale SRC studies among soccer players in Japan. The purpose of this study is to investigate the epidemiology of SRC among university soccer players in Japan.

The Significance of Off-Season Tailor-Made Baseline Measurements in the Assessment of Post-Concussion in University Athletes.

This study aimed to investigate the significance of baseline measurements for amateur team athletes playing contact and collision team sports with a specific focus on the Sports Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT) to improve concussion management. Symptoms of sports-related concussions (SRCs) can be diverse and long-lasting and include cognitive impairment, sleep disturbances, and vestibular dysfunction. Therefore, comprehensive baseline data are essential to preventing recurrent concussions and secondary injuries.

Effect of controlled start position on the reach distance distribution range in the functional reach test among community-dwelling older adults.

[Purpose] This study investigated the effect of controlled start position (CSP) on the reach distance distribution range (RDDR) in the functional reach test (FRT) in community-dwelling older adults. [Participants and Methods] The participants were 34 community-dwelling older adults. We compared the RDDR in CSP and non-CSP and analyzed the relationship between the mean reach distance (MRD) and the length of movement of the center of pressure (LMCOP).

Red fluorescent proteins engineered from green fluorescent proteins.

Fluorescent proteins (FPs) form a fluorophore through autocatalysis from three consecutive amino acid residues within a polypeptide chain. The two major groups, green FPs (GFPs) and red FPs (RFPs), have distinct fluorophore structures; RFPs have an extended π-conjugation system with an additional double bond. However, due to the low sequence homology between the two groups, amino acid residues essential for determining the different fluorophore structures were unclear.

Wavefront accuracy of mechanically assembled all-cordierite reflective optical system for cryogenic applications.

Although a reflective optical system can theoretically realize ideal optical designs, it is not always the optimal choice compared with a refractive one because of the difficulty in achieving high wavefront accuracy. A promising solution is to build reflective optical systems by mechanically assembling all the optical and structural components made of cordierite, which is a ceramic with a very low thermal expansion coefficient. Interferometric evaluations of an experimental product demonstrated that diffraction-limited performance in the visible wavelength was achieved and maintained even after cooling to 80 K.

Determinants of Subtype-Selectivity of the Anthelmintic Paraherquamide A on Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors.

The anthelmintic paraherquamide A acts selectively on the nematode L-type nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), but the mechanism of its selectivity is unknown. This study targeted the basis of paraherquamide A selectivity by determining an X-ray crystal structure of the acetylcholine binding protein (AChBP), a surrogate nAChR ligand-binding domain, complexed with the compound and by measuring its actions on wild-type and mutant nematodes and functionally expressed nAChRs. Paraherquamide A showed a higher efficacy for the levamisole-sensitive [L-type (UNC-38/UNC-29/UNC-63/LEV-1/LEV-8)] nAChR than the nicotine-sensitive [N-type (ACR-16)] nAChR, a result consistent with in vivo studies on wild-type worms and worms with mutations in subunits of these two classes of receptors.

Development of Autopolymerizing Resin Material with Antimicrobial Properties Using Montmorillonite and Nanoporous Silica.

Although autopolymerizing resin offers numerous applications in orthodontic treatment, plaque tends to accumulate between the appliance and the mucosa, which increases the number of microorganisms present. In this study, we added cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) loaded montmorillonite (Mont) and nanoporous silica (NPS) to autopolymerizing resin (resin-Mont, resin-NPS) and evaluated their drug release capacity, antimicrobial capacity, drug reuptake capacity, mechanical strength, and color tone for the devolvement of autopolymerizing resin with antimicrobial properties. As observed, resin-Mont and resin-NPS were capable of the sustained release of CPC for 14 d, and a higher amount of CPC was released compared to that of resin-CPC.

Characteristics of the 6th Japanese wave of COVID-19 in hemodialysis patients.

Background: We examined the clinical characteristics of hemodialysis patients with COVID-19 during the 6th wave of infection (mainly Omicron variant) in Japan.

Methods: Hemodialysis patients admitted in January 2022 and thereafter were grouped as the 6th wave group ( = 53), while others were grouped as the 1st-5th wave group ( = 47).

Results: The proportion of vaccinations was significantly higher in the 6th wave group than in the 1st-5th wave group (96.

Survey on Sports-Related Concussions among Japanese University Students.

In recent years, head injuries in sports have garnered attention, and in particular, international discussions have been held on the prevention of and response to sports-related concussions (SRCs). The purpose of this study is to investigate past SRCs experienced by university students in Japan, clarify the state and mechanism of such injuries in each sport, and consider the creation of an environment for future SRC prevention and responses. A questionnaire survey on past SRC experience was conducted among 1731 students who belonged to Fukuoka University in Japan and took "sports medicine" classes in 2020.

Effects of cofactors RIC-3, TMX3 and UNC-50, together with distinct subunit ratios on the agonist actions of imidacloprid on Drosophila melanogaster Dα1/Dβ1 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes.

Insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) require cofactors for functional heterologous expression. A previous study revealed that TMX3 was crucial for the functional expression of Drosophila melanogaster Dα1/Dβ1 nAChRs in Xenopus laevis oocytes, while UNC-50 and RIC-3 enhanced the acetylcholine (ACh)-induced responses of the nAChRs. However, it is unclear whether the coexpression of UNC-50 and RIC-3 with TMX3 and the subunit stoichiometry affect pharmacology of Dα1/Dβ1 nAChRs when expressed in X.

Discovery and mechanistic study of thiazole-4-acylsulfonamide derivatives as potent and orally active ChemR23 inhibitors with a long-acting effect in cynomolgus monkeys.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are a subset of dendritic cells that can secrete large amounts of type I interferon. ChemR23, a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) expressed on the surface of pDCs, contributes to the recruitment of pDCs to inflamed tissues through chemotaxis signaling, and is therefore considered an attractive target for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. We previously reported benzoxazole-based compounds that can inhibit ChemR23 signaling through receptor internalization.

Characteristics of hemodialysis patient with critical COVID-19.

Introduction: The clinical course of hemodialysis patients with COVID-19 still remains unclear.

Methods: Thirty-four hemodialysis patients were retrospectively enrolled. Patients were divided according to disease severity, and clinical symptoms and laboratory data at admission were compared.

Higher-order efficiency bound and its application to nonlinear nanothermoelectrics.

Power and efficiency of heat engines are two conflicting objectives. A tight efficiency bound is expected to give insights on the fundamental properties of such a power-efficiency tradeoff. Here, we derive an upper bound on the efficiency of steady-state heat engines, which incorporates higher-order fluctuations of power.

Generation and characterization of keap1a- and keap1b-knockout zebrafish.

The Keap1-Nrf2 pathway is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism that protects cells from oxidative stress and electrophiles. Under homeostatic conditions, Keap1 interacts with Nrf2 and leads to its rapid proteasomal degradation, but when cells are exposed to oxidative stress/electrophiles, Keap1 senses them, resulting in an improper Keap1-Nrf2 interaction and Nrf2 stabilization. Keap1 is therefore considered both an "inhibitor" of and "stress sensor" for Nrf2 activation.

The design, synthesis and evaluation of 2-aminobenzoxazole analogues as potent and orally efficacious ChemR23 inhibitors.

We previously reported 2-aminobenzoxazole analogue 1 as a potent ChemR23 inhibitor. The compound showed inhibitory activity against chemerin-induced calcium signaling through ChemR23 internalization in CAL-1 cells, which are cell lines of plasmacytoid dendric cells (pDCs). Furthermore, compound 2 inhibited chemotaxis of CAL-1 triggered by chemerin in vitro.

Estimating entropy production by machine learning of short-time fluctuating currents.

Thermodynamic uncertainty relations (TURs) are the inequalities which give lower bounds on the entropy production rate using only the mean and the variance of fluctuating currents. Since the TURs do not refer to the full details of the stochastic dynamics, it would be promising to apply the TURs for estimating the entropy production rate from a limited set of trajectory data corresponding to the dynamics. Here we investigate a theoretical framework for estimation of the entropy production rate using the TURs along with machine learning techniques without prior knowledge of the parameters of the stochastic dynamics.

[A CASE OF RENAL CELL CARCINOMA THAT ONCE NIVOLUMAB HAD BEEN EFFECTIVE IN METASTATIC LESION AND MADE PRIMARY TUMOR RESECTABLE].

A 70-year-old woman, with an 8 cm tumor in the left kidney and multiple lung tumor and was diagnosed with Renal Cell Carcinoma (cT3aN0M1). The kidney tumor were unresectable and we started treatment with Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (sunitinib, pazopanib, axitinib, temsirolimus), but they failed because of disease progression or adverse events. We used nivolumab for 5 line treatment; then, interstitial pneumonia was observed.

Relationship between Dose of Bolus Dialysate Infusion and Blood Pressure in Intermittent Infusion Hemodiafiltration.

Background: Intermittent infusion hemodiafiltration is a recently developed convective method of renal replacement therapy using cyclic back-filtration infusion. Quick and regular infusion prevents intradialytic hypotension. However, the optimal dose of bolus dialysate infusion required to stabilize blood pressure has not been reported.