Stair climbing ability and postoperative activity in patient-reported outcomes after CR-TKA are more related to handgrip strength than sagittal knee stability.

Introduction: Stair ascent and descent are physically demanding tasks requiring higher functional ability of the lower extremity muscles and joint range of motion than level walking, and are associated with patient satisfaction after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). This study aimed to investigate stair ascent and descent ability after cruciate-retaining (CR)-TKA using the patient-reported outcomes, and to examine the role of knee sagittal stability and handgrip strength in postoperative stair ascent and descent ability.

Materials And Methods: This study included 84 female patients who underwent primary unilateral CR-TKA for knee osteoarthritis at our institute between April 2015 and February 2019.

Bovine Lactoferrin Enhances Toll-like Receptor 7 Response in Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells and Modulates Cellular Immunity.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) express Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) in the endosomes, recognize viral single-stranded RNA (ssRNA), and produce significant amounts of interferon (IFN)-α. Bovine lactoferrin (LF) enhances the response of IFN regulatory factors followed by the activation of IFN-sensitive response elements located in the promoter regions of the gene and IFN-stimulated genes in the TLR7 reporter THP-1 cells in the presence of R-848, a TLR7 agonist. In ex vivo experiments using human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, LF enhances IFN-α levels in the supernatant in the presence of R-848.

Utilizing infectious disease surveillance for epidemic warnings of respiratory syncytial virus infections in Japan from 2015 to 2019.

Japan's National Epidemiological Surveillance of Infectious Diseases (NESID) has implemented a warning system for detecting epidemics in smaller districts, such as public health center (PHC) areas. This system is applied to influenza and pediatric infectious diseases but not to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, whose incorporation is essential for early epidemic detection. We aimed to propose criterion values for the epidemic warning system of RSV infection within PHC areas.

Nicotinamide mononucleotide boosts the development of bovine oocyte by enhancing mitochondrial function and reducing chromosome lagging.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(H)) and its metabolites function as crucial regulators of physiological processes, allowing cells to adapt to environmental changes such as nutritional deficiencies, genotoxic factors, disruptions in circadian rhythms, infections, inflammation, and exogenous substances. Here, we investigated whether elevated NAD(H) levels in oocytes enhance their quality and improve developmental competence following in vitro fertilization (IVF). Bovine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were matured in a culture medium supplemented with 0-100 μM nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), a precursor of NAD(H).

Eye movements during measurements of visual vertical in the post-stroke subacute phase.

The subjective visual vertical (VV), the visually estimated direction of gravity, is essential for assessing vestibular function and visuospatial cognition. In this study, we aimed to investigate the mechanisms underlying altered VV perception in stroke participants with unilateral spatial neglect (USN), specifically by examining their eye movement patterns during VV judgment tasks. Participants with USN demonstrated limited eye movement scanning along a rotating bar, often fixating on prominent ends, such as the top or bottom.